Montréal drag queens star in Canada’s Drag race
Montréal is one of the drag capitals of the world, and three Montreal-based queens are competing on Season 7 of Canada’s Drag Race.
Montréal drag royalty
Home to popular drag nightclubs Bar Le Cocktail and Cabaret Mado in the Village, Montréal has a vibrant drag scene that has been cranking out legendary drag artists for decades.
Local drag royalty Gisèle Lullaby won Season 3 of Canada's Drag Race, making history as the franchise’s first French-Canadian and Québec-based winner.
Montréal drag queens Moh Dafok, Paolo Perfección and Chiquita Mére (who moved to Montréal from New Brunswick) are competing on Season 7 of Canada’s Drag Race which premieres on CRAVE on November 19.
Why do you love Montréal?
Paolo Perfección: I love Montréal because at the end of the day – regardless of the construction – it’s gorgeous.
Moh Dafok: I love Montréal because it’s a city of many cultures and different people. I’m Brazilian, so to come here and see lots of Brazilians and Latin people – so much diversity – is amazing.
Chiquita Mére: I love Montréal because of the roads. Listen, growing up in Shediac, New Brunswick, the lobster capital of the world, there’s one main road. I moved to Montréal in a 24-foot U-Haul, and there’s something exciting about the STM public transport here! Honestly, I love the big-city vibe of it all.
What is your favourite Montréal activity or pastime?
Paolo Perfección: Hiking Mount Royal, riding a BIXI, and then probably fabric shopping. Honestly, out of all the places in Canada, we’ve got the best deals, best prices, and the best fabrics.
Moh Dafok: Getting poutine in a restaurant. I love poutine!
Chiquita Mére: I love to eat! I love bagels, smoked meat. Montréal has amazing bakeries and cafés. There’s so much good food, and a lot of good fusion foods too. There’s this great Chinese food restaurant called Frères near where I live in Hochelaga.
How did you get your drag name?
Paolo Perfección: I got my drag name from my Spanish teacher in high school. I was getting bullied like crazy, and she told my bullies, “Don’t talk to Paolo like that because he’s perfection!” I changed my Instagram handle that same day!
Moh Dafok: I got my drag name from my last boss who used to call us m*therf*ckers. Now people call me Moh!
Chiquita Mére: Growing up in New Brunswick, I didn’t have a drag mom or a drag dad. I had to do this all by myself. So I chose my own name, based on the vision I had and the queen I found within myself.
Montréal is a great drag city. How would you characterize its drag scene and community?
Paolo Perfección: The drag scene in Montréal is very close-knit. Everyone knows everyone, and I feel like everyone’s looking out for each other. It’s like a sisterhood.
Moh Dafok: There are not just drag queens in Montréal, there are also drag kings, drag creatures, many different types of drag and drag arts. I love Montréal for being so diverse. Montréal is THE city for drag.
Chiquita Mére: The drag scene and community in Montréal is like no other in Canada. There is something special about the cabaret-style of drag that we offer, but also the bubbles of drag that exist within the entire community. There’s nightlife queens, online queens, cabaret queens. The many different types of drag that Montréal offers is what makes it so special.
Where to watch Canada’s Drag Race
Canada’s Drag Race airs on CRAVE.
Bar Le Cocktail hosts weekly Canada’s Drag Race Season 7 viewing parties with guest drag performers.
Click here for a primer about Montréal’s legendary drag history and drag bars.
Richard Burnett
Richard “Bugs” Burnett is a Canadian freelance writer, editor, journalist, blogger and columnist for alt-weeklies, mainstream and LGBTQ+ publications. Bugs also knows Montréal like a drag queen knows a cosmetics counter.