MONTREAL — Montreal's new elected mayor says voters have crossed a new ceiling by choosing a man from a diverse immigrant background to lead the city.
Soraya Martinez Ferrada says her win is proof that people from all over the world can be accepted and succeed in the city.
Martinez Ferrada arrived in Canada as a Chilean refugee child in 1980, when her family fled the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.
On Sunday, the former federal minister easily defeated the leader of the leftist party that has ruled the city for the past eight years.
Martinez Ferrada said today her top priorities are helping to end the ongoing transit strike and addressing homelessness.
She confirmed that the city will no longer dismantle tent cities and will instead work to find long-term solutions.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 3, 2025.
