# Will Prosper

Wieland (Will) Prosper is a Haitian Canadian filmmaker and activist from Montreal, Quebec. He is most noted for his 2019 film Kenbe la, Until We Win (Kenbe la, jusqu'à la victoire), which won the People's Choice Award at the 2019 Montreal International Documentary Festival, and was longlisted for the Directors Guild of Canada's DGC Discovery Award in 2020.

## Background

As a teenager he was associated with Dope Squad, a breakdancing crew which began engaging in criminal gang activity long after Prosper left it. He was later a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer from 1988 to 2001, but left that job after being accused of conducting unauthorized background searches on Steve Bernavil, a former Dope Squad colleague who was under investigation as a murder suspect at the time but was later cleared of involvement in the case.

## Activism

He began his activism in 2008 after the shooting of Fredy Villanueva, as a co-founder of Montréal-Nord Républik, an organization that provides community legal aid to residents of the Montreal borough of Montréal-Nord and other projects to combat racism. The organization has since been renamed Hoodstock.

## Filmmaking

As a filmmaker his projects have included the documentary films Républik Basket and Aller Simple: Haiti, and the television series Black Life: Untold Stories. In 2020 he directed the music video for "Tout recommencer", a supergroup single of Quebec hip-hop musicians released in support of Hoodstock, whose participants included Imposs, Shreez, Tizzo, Sarahmée, Marco Volcy, Rosalvo and Meryem Saci.
He also served as a script consultant on Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette's 2022 film White Dog (Chien blanc).

## Political activity

He ran as a Québec solidaire candidate in Bourassa-Sauvé for the 2012 Quebec general election, and was a Projet Montréal candidate for mayor of Montréal-Nord in the 2021 Montreal municipal election.
His 2021 candidacy was marred by the revelation of the circumstances behind his departure from the RCMP, with political opponents and media falsely accusing him of direct personal involvement in criminal activity. Projet Montréal leader Valérie Plante expressed confidence in Prosper's candidacy, noting that his record as a community leader and filmmaker should demonstrate that he was far more than just one ethical mistake from decades earlier. He lost the election to incumbent borough mayor Christine Black.

## Electoral record

2012 Quebec general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Rita de Santis | 12,518 | 42.28 | -19.05 |
| | Parti Québécois | Marianne Dessureault | 8,092 | 27.33 | +0.46 |
| | Coalition Avenir Québec | Louis Pelletier | 5,165 | 17.44 | +8.88 |
| | Québec solidaire | Will Prosper | 3,045 | 10.28 | +7.04 |
| | Green | Eric Guerra-Grenier Jr. | 465 | 1.57 | |
| | Option nationale | Nancy Lavallée | 324 | 1.09 | – |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 29,609 | 98.10 | – |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 575 | 1.90 | – |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 30,184 | 64.17 | +16.49 |
| Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | 47,036 | – | – |