Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Montreal's first mayor of immigrant origin, was elected by nearly 30,000 votes from citizens who primarily wanted to get rid of Projet Montréal.
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“I'm an immigrant. I'm a girl lawyer 101. I'm a girl from Montreal and I'm here at home,” Soraya Martinez Ferrada said in her victory speech.
“Montreal made it clear this evening: change is needed, change based on listening, action, living together and unity.» the new mayor said to her supporters shortly after 11 p.m.
Soraya Martínez Ferrada's triumph was indeed driven by the desire for change among voters that marked the campaign.
“This is more of a vote against the policy of Projet Montréal,” they explained to reporters. Magazine Daniel Pilette is a municipal policy expert at UQAM.
The mayor-elect also criticized the outgoing administration. “You've been telling me the same thing everywhere. We don't feel heard anymore. Tonight I told you, I heard you,” she said, vowing to renounce her party affiliation.
At the time of publication, Projet Montréal was in the process of losing control of its three largest boroughs by population, namely Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Rivière-des-Prairies-Pointe-aux-Trembles and Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.
The charm of these areas will make it easier for the new mayor to promote his projects throughout the city.
Historical
The good mood was visible on the faces of the volunteers, staff and relatives of the candidates who gathered to celebrate the victory.
“Being an immigrant myself, and seeing Soraya as an immigrant who has gained the trust of Montrealers, it helps me gain more confidence,” rejoices Rolin Jr. Boyard, a volunteer who helped the party because he, in particular, opposed the development of cycling.
QMI Photo Agency, JOEL LEMAY
In his speech after the defeat, Luc Rabouin also emphasized the “historic victory for the Latino community and all Montrealers with an immigrant background.”
Originally from Chile, Soraya Martinez Ferrada arrived in Montreal at the age of eight as a refugee with her family fleeing dictatorship.
Thanking Valérie Plante for becoming the city's first woman elected mayor, she congratulated Montrealers for breaking another glass ceiling by electing someone of immigrant background: “This is a message from a city that recognizes the richness of its diversity.”
Who are we dealing with?
However, unlike Valerie Plante, the new mayor did not impress with either her personality or a particularly bold program, instead running a very cautious campaign to maintain her leadership while many voters remained undecided.
Thus, many Montrealers find themselves in charge of someone they don't know much about.
QMI Photo Agency, JOEL LEMAY
Among his major commitments we find his promise to triple the budget to combat homelessness and invest more than $30 million in installing cameras in public places and body-worn cameras on police officers.
From minister to mayor
Former Federal Minister of Tourism and Member of Parliament for Hochelaga, M.to me Martinez Ferrada is one of the MPs to abandon a Liberal boat that appeared to be sinking months before it was revived under Mark Carney.
She resigned in February to run for mayor. She was also a city council member and worked for TOHU, a cultural NGO, for several years.
