Move to Montréal

Montréal is Canada’s second largest city with a population of about 3.6 million people. It is the commercial capital of Québec, Canada’s largest French speaking province and is situated on an island in the Saint Lawrence river.

 

History

The city of Montréal was originally founded as “Ville-Marie” in 1642 by Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve. It was initially set up as a missionary settlement but flourished as a fur trading centre. As Montréal developped, it became North America’s primary Roman Catholic city and thus has been bequethed with such a large number of religious buildings that Mark Twain remarked: “This is the first time I was ever in a city where you could not throw a brick without breaking a church window”.

In 1763 France ceded its North American territories to Britain following its defeat in the seven years war. Hence began the British rule of Québec which led to its incorporation into Canada. The British however were sensitive to the centuries of French life in Montréal and did not impose English but allowed French and Roman Catholism to remain central to life in Montréal.

The city grew to be the most important in Canada and the country’s commercial capital. However, despite the number of immigrants moving into Montréal, the wealth was largely controlled by English speakers living in the west of the island. The French speaking majority remained for the main poor and working class. The two communities lived lives divided by Boulevard Saint-Denis.

In the 1960s and 1970s the Francophone majority began to revolt against Anglophone rule. Separatist political parties began to make headway in elections and the city of Montréal would be changed forever. Language laws were introduced, such as Bill 101 forcing businesses to operate in French. Children had to be schooled in French, unless their parents were schooled in English. During the period from 1976 to 1981 100 companies moved their head offices from Montréal, taking 14 000 jobs with them. The city lost its status as Canada’s commerical capital to Toronto.

 

Geography

 

Montréal is an island in the Saint Lawrence river. It can be split effectively into three areas. The residential west island, traditionally Anglophone, the centre and the industrial east traditionally French and working class.

The downtown core is located in the South of the centre and is surrounded by lively and distinct neighbourhoods. As one moves further away from the core, Montréal becomes steadly more residential.

The traditionally English areas lie to the west of Boulevard Saint Denis and French areas to the east. However the language laws introduced in the 1970s have reduced dramatically this distinction.