Maïka Sondarjee is a professor at the School of International Development and Global Studies at the University of Ottawa. His first attempt, Losing the South, was published by Écosociété editions in August 2020.
As cities have an increasingly important role to play on the international stage, next Sunday’s elections will determine the direction Montreal takes on the world stage. While Denis Coderre wants to promote the city through urban diplomacy and playing the role of ambassador, Valérie Plante is banking on ecological transition and public transit to make Montreal an international example.
On the one hand, return to a traditional vision of what a “metropolis” is (or should be) and, on the other, reinvent Montreal in a world in transition.
Global governance
Montreal has to behave like a big city, Coderre mentioned in the debate of the Council of International Relations of Montreal (CORIM) a few weeks ago. While he rightly emphasizes that cities are increasingly present in global governance, he seems to want to return to an old-fashioned vision of what makes a city great: in short, a metropolis with skyscrapers, multinationals and more cars. To prepare for the future, “Montreal needs to come together,” he says.
The two city leaders stress the importance of investments, especially in artificial intelligence, but they do it in a rather different way. Coderre emphasizes attractiveness for large companies, while Plante emphasizes the importance of the workforce and sustainable finance companies.
For one of the cutting-edge companies that will set up there, the lungs of Montreal are therefore part of the workforce that makes it up. For one, it is about promoting the city to multinational companies, for the other, to make the city livable so that students and “talents” settle there.
“It’s not who you are, it’s who you know”
Here is a classically “coderian” sentence, if there is one. Denis Coderre’s line of international communication mainly involves the importance of the mayor as a “catalyst” and as a “leader” with regard to international missions. He already sees himself returning to international summits and shaking hands through what he calls urban diplomacy.
A classic mayor, as he should be. Its motto is “Attractiveness, promotion, leadership”, a program that it intends to promote with a masterful hand. A “competent” and “efficient” master, if we can trust his signs. However, efficiency and competence are not the terms that come to mind when we think of the scandal of the international event of Formula E. If the blunders of Plante are fresh in our memory, let us not forget those of Coderre.
Rather than focusing on his personal qualities, Plante puts his team forward. She says she don’t have to name dropping to show that she “knows the world”. Basically, if the city becomes an international model at different levels, no matter who you know, you will be invited to promote it. Montreal also presented environmental commitments at the United Nations climate summit in 2019. Whether we like bike paths, parks and public transit, Montreal has changed its face in recent years. Despite the inconvenience caused on the roads, the City promises to become an international example in terms of ecological transition.
Unsurprisingly, Projet Montréal relies more on ecological transition than Ensemble Montréal, both to attract sustainable businesses and young people, and also to promote the city internationally. Thus, Plante’s public policies on the local scene, whether it be the electrification of public transport, the creation of the large West Park or cycle paths, kill two birds with one stone. Transforming the city will help to end the climate crisis and make Montreal more resilient, but also to make the city shine internationally. In ten years or so, it’s a safe bet that Montreal will look more like Copenhagen than New York, and that we will be healthier and happier.
The environmental fight is therefore an integral part of the Plante administration’s project. Coderre mentioned it as a footnote during the COMIR debate, saying that he would favor a government of proximity to take care of “the environment … and all that”. One subject among others.
I don’t think Projet Montreal has achieved a flawless mandate. Far from there. There were some mistakes on the course and there are still some mistakes that need to be corrected. But between a city of the future, ecological and collective on the one hand and an old-fashioned metropolis whose mayor is the big boss on the other, I choose the first.