Wrongly, international relations occupy the minimal portion of the debates of the municipal campaign. However, Montreal, a “UN city”, hosts the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, also universities, multinational companies and major sporting or cultural events. Bringing their share of immigrants, tourists, expatriate workers and students, these constitute international Montreal.
According to a recent survey1, Montrealers embrace this international identity with unusual enthusiasm. When our research team from the G3 de la Francophonie (an alliance of the universities of Montreal, Brussels and Geneva) interviewed a representative sample of 750 Montrealers, the feeling of pride was far superior to the negative impacts of living in a cosmopolitan city. . While their enthusiasm contrasts with the lukewarm responses obtained in Brussels and Geneva, the other two cities covered in the survey, Montrealers still have little idea of what forges this international identity.
View the survey results
A city open to globalization
Many Montrealers see their city as a place of passage that shines abroad. For 41% of respondents, the metropolis is known as a tourist destination. Almost a quarter of citizens mention the presence of universities and a fifth the holding of sporting or cultural events. In short, the international aspect mainly evokes occasional mobility flows.
This perception of a city open to mobility is accompanied by massive support for immigration: 63% of respondents believe that its impact is “good”, compared to 10% of negative opinions.
Interesting fact: half of the inhabitants of Brussels (29%) and Genevans (35%) questioned share this positive perception of immigration.
The same opening report emerges with regard to globalization. If two-thirds of Montrealers believe that the increase in economic exchanges is a good thing, cultural globalization has reached an even higher rate of support, at 80%. Obviously, French-speaking Montrealers do not suffer from withdrawal: even though 92% of respondents to this survey conducted in French indicate that it is their main language of use, nearly half say they are to speak English regularly in their professional life, and the third in their social or family life.
An acclaimed urban diplomacy
The international positioning of a city can only be based on the occasional mobility induced by tourism and sporting events. As Montreal’s Strategic Framework for International Relations recognizes, urban diplomacy must also attract political and economic institutions that will establish themselves in a sustainable manner, forming as many strategic nodes in global networks.
In this regard, Montrealers favor the presence of international organizations in their city. For more than 90% of respondents, hosting such organizations brings significant economic benefits, constitutes a source of global influence and benefits the entire country. This support is slightly higher than that observed in Geneva and clearly more important than in Brussels, where the feelings of the population are mixed in the face of the presence of international civil servants, more numerous than here.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, ARCHIVES THE PRESS
The 40e Assembly of ICAO Member States, 2019. From left to right: Michael Keenan, Deputy Minister of Transport of Canada, Fang Liu, Secretary of ICAO, Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, Chairman of the Board of ICAO, François Legault and Valérie Plante
International, you say?
However, there is a knowledge gap. Asked what constitutes the international character of their city, less than 8% of Montrealers think of hosting international organizations. Half of them are unable to name a single institution. When given a choice of answers, only 36% of Montrealers correctly identify the ICAO, even if an orange line metro station bears its name. (We will be reassured by noting that only 39% of Brussels residents respond to NATO, an organization that is much better known internationally.) In addition, 48% of Montrealers do not know the Quartier international or do not go there. regularly.
Let us observe in passing that only 11% of Montrealers see their city as an international financial center or the headquarters of multinational companies. This is little, whereas Bombardier, GardaWorld, CGI, CAE or Power, whose global headquarters provide thousands of jobs, should be seen as essential cogs of international Montreal.
The global is not the enemy of the local
Eight years ago, Pierre Marc Johnson and I wrote in Press : “Montreal is not an island”. We defended the importance of thinking of Montreal as a global city. Since then, public transport has grown, municipal infrastructure has improved, foreign investment has increased, the economy has diversified, and universities have welcomed a record number of international students.
Read the text by Frédéric Mérand and Pierre Marc Johnson
On the eve of the November 7 elections, let us hope that the next mayor will know how to take advantage of this development by giving substance and visibility to the international identity that Montrealers seem to cherish, while preserving the francophone character, the rich life. neighborhood and these other assets that make Montreal an attractive city.
1 The survey was conducted in September 2021 in French by the firm IVOX, with a margin of error of 3.51%
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