Montreal's esteemed status at risk in the midst of commerce disputes
In the heart of the electoral campaign, Montreal's mayoral race took a dramatic turn with the second showdown between the candidates. The contrasting visions of the two leading contenders, Soraya Martinez Ferrada of Ensemble Montreal and Luc Rabouin of Projet Montreal, became more apparent than ever.
Martinez Ferrada expressed her concerns about the city's reputation being threatened by insecurity and street degradation. She stated, "It's not normal for people to feel insecure, sleep on Notre-Dame, or be attacked coming out of the metro." In a bold move, she declared, "Half the room has my phone number. I want to make sure that when you call the mayor, I'm there. This city has lacked listening."
Rabouin, on the other hand, accused Martinez Ferrada of exaggerating the problems in the city. He retorted, "There is no catastrophe in Montreal," and mentioned festivals and the vibrant cultural scene as positive aspects. In a reference to U.S. President Donald Trump's campaign slogan, Luc Rabouin stated, "My opponent wants to make Montreal great again."
Craig Sauvé, another contender, aims to make Montreal a "global academic city" and attract more American researchers or talents "fleeing Trumpism." He promised to withdraw any investments the City might have in Russian and Israeli interests, to protest against "ongoing genocides."
The debates continued, with Culture Montreal organising a debate on October 8 to discuss cultural and artistic development, and Tourisme Montreal holding a debate on tourism issues between Luc Rabouin and Soraya Martinez Ferrada, next Monday. The Metropolitan Montreal Chamber of Commerce (CCMM) and the Montreal East Chamber of Commerce (CCEM) also announced debates focusing on economic issues, scheduled for October 2 and October 6, respectively.
Henri Ouellette-Vezina, a candidate, expressed his concern about Montreal's reputation becoming that of a "doughnut hole." He qualified his opponent, Luc Rabouin, as "totally disconnected" from the realities and concerns of the population.
In a press conference after the debate, Luc Rabouin recalled that the same criticism was made when the city was run by Ensemble Montreal and by Mayor Denis Coderre. He defended his record by stating that pedestrian streets, present in ads promoting Montreal internationally, were created by Projet Montreal councilors, not Ensemble Montreal.
Soraya Martinez Ferrada affirmed after the debate, "I think Montrealers expect us to give Montreal back its ambition and its ability to dream." She stated that it's not normal for people to feel insecure in the city and emphasised the need for action.
In 2024, Montreal had 11 million tourists, a record. Despite this, the candidates agreed that homelessness and security issues were at the heart of the discussions. The search results do not provide specific names of individuals involved in the planned debates on the cultural and artistic development of Montreal.
As the electoral campaign continues, the voters of Montreal will have to decide which vision they believe will best guide the city forward.
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