Montreal: cosmopolitan, gastronomic and cultural

Welcoming Montreal: sweet new France

Harsh winters, but a gentle way of life; demanding work schedules, but an open mind; uncompromising business practices, but opportunities: these are the reasons why French people come - and stay - in Montreal...
By The Editor -

It's midday outside Chez Schwartz, an institution on boulevard Saint-Laurent where the famous smoked meat sandwiches have been served for generations. It used to be that people spoke Yiddish while drinking a cherry coke. Now it's French with a Parisian accent that can be heard over the hubbub of the first customers to settle in... It has to be said that the streets of the Plateau Mont-Royal, with their street art-style painted walls and a succession of designer boutiques, patisseries and cafés, are attracting young French people in ever-increasing numbers.

In recent years, as if the word had got around, they have been coming to Montreal for a summer job thanks to the Working Holiday Permit (WHP), which has been so successful that the quota has risen from 3,000 places in 2003 to 14,000 in 2012. And then they stay... Often, they quickly land a real job, with a real salary. Pierre- Édouard Chomette, brand manager at Agropur, Canada's leading dairy cooperative, arrived in Montreal in this way. He came to Montreal to do a work placement as part of his studies in agri-food engineering. "I then converted this work experience visa into a developmental employment visa when I was hired, and then followed all the immigration procedures until I obtained my Canadian citizenship last April".he explains.

Pierre-Édouard Chomette's case is far from being an exception, to the extent that people in France have even changed their nationality to settle in Montreal. Newcomers and old hands alike cite the same reasons: greater opportunities for young professionals, a much more flexible labour market than in France, the value of making mistakes as a form of learning, an essentially French-speaking business world, open-mindedness, better pay, security... "Quebec society is very open, and differences - be they religious, linguistic, sexual orientation, etc. - are a social 'non-issue'. What's more, Canada has faith in the future, says the young engineer. Above all, I find that life here is very simple and that's good for you.
This enthusiasm for the city is expressed as well as words. In 2011, of the 5,865 new French permanent residents in Canada, 3,905 chose Montreal, according to data provided by the Canadian embassy in Paris. "In recent years, there has been a real craze for this country in general, and for Quebec in particular, which is the gateway to North America, not least because French is spoken here".says Véronique Loi- seau, Director of the French Chamber of Commerce.
 
 

So far, so near

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But while language can be an asset, it can also be a lure. "The French think they've arrived 'at home', but that's not the case at all, she warns. That's why the Chamber of Commerce offers coaching sessions to prepare French entrepreneurs for the local market. It's essential to understand Quebec culture, and in particular the importance attached to punctuality and precision in one's work, but also to appreciate the need to be concrete and relevant, and to get straight to the point". It's also important to realise that taking on a lawyer when doing business is not a luxury or a form of snobbery, but a necessity, and that maintaining a network is almost an obligation if you want to succeed.

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Once you've got over the initial adjustment hurdle, you'll want to stay on because the city has weathered the crisis well, because its social benefits are better than in the United States, because its growth rate is stable and unemployment fairly low, and because people talk about money without any hang-ups... "On the other hand, nobody expects anybody. You have to prove yourself".warns Véronique Loiseau.

In fact, Canada has never put itself on the map. to the five-week holiday scheme, nor the 35-hour working week, but office hours often seem more peaceful. We arrive at 8.30am, leave at 5pm, and the overtime is rather poorly regarded: it is proof of a lack of motivation. lack of organisation and efficiency. On the other hand, no more long breaks at the coffee machine, lunches that cigarettes smoked in front of the Here, we go for it and it pays off. As does daring and the desire to succeed.
All the more so as the hierarchical divideis erased. "Contact the Chairman of a company by telephone is not an easy an unattainable dream, but a reality, sings Malick Deme, Director of Research and Development at Samson Bélair/ Deloitte & Touche. In a large firm like the one I work for, it's difficult to find managers in France. This not at all the case in Montreal, where it is also understandable that employees have other activities outside work."
 

Paid internships

 These advantages, the young director has He quickly made a name for himself after arriving in the city as an exchange student, followed by a work placement. "When I first time I came, not only was the university coordinating the meetings between the companies and students, but there were more internships than students!he continues. Another outstanding fact- the net monthly remuneration for internships. "I was paid almost 2,000 dollars, and I discovered an environment pleasant working environment. My boss gave me con?ance straight away, and I was given responsibility for my work.responsibilities, I've met customers, I've worked withworked with them"., continues Malick Deme, who, like his peers, appreciated being noticed and congratulated by the president of an SME.courage. "So I continued to work in the same company for two years and a half, and then I went through a series of work visas - all fairly easy to obtain, with a fee of approximately $200 - until the that I'm running out of ways of renewinglement."
It was here that the young man opted for permanent resident status. "This allowed me to enjoy the same rights as Canadian citizens for an unlimited period of time, with the exception of the right to vote. But it took longer to obtain and cost more, close to 2,000 dollars", continues the engineer.
 

Like the majority of French people in Montreal, Malick Deme was slow to make his final decision, worried at the idea of never returning to live in France. However, the exchanges between colleagues, whatever their position within a company, the absence of racial, age or gender discrimination, and the ease of networking convinced the Frenchman. "While I love life in Montreal for the cultural activities, the good humour and the countless parks and restaurants, it's mainly the professional environment that keeps me here".he concludes. Some French people are thinking of to take the plunge as soon as they start their studies. The good relations between France and Quebec offer real advantages to students. Guy Tchakouté, promotion from the Direction de la valorisation, du transfert aux entreprises et de la for- mation des cadres at HEC Montréal, explains that in autumn 2012, theThe 1,331 French students enrolled represented a third of the international students on campus. A significant figure which exThis is as much due to the school's French roots as to financial reasons. "Thanks to the Parizeau-Balladur agreement, French students pay the same tuition as Quebec students, which makes it possible to at the same time, reciprocity for young Quebecers wishing to study in France".he explains.

Beyond the extreme cold

Founded in 1907 by the city's Chamber of Commerce, HEC Montréal today has 250 professors and nearly 12,000 students, including 4,000 from abroad, as well as some forty research chairs, centres and groups, including the Centre de recherche en e-?nance. This institution, which has more than 60 researchers and examines, among other things, the impact of e-?nance on the produc- tivity of ?nancial markets by taking account of private and social risks, is a major attraction for the French. "HEC Montréal has partnerships with more than 80 universities around the world and is breaking new ground in the internationalisation of teaching, with its trilingual Bachelor of Business Administration programme (editor's note: a 4-year postgraduate programme), a first in North America".concludes Guy Tchakouté.
 
Of course, when Montreal comes around there are harsh winters, American-style business and social codes that are very different from those of Europeans, and that still make some would-be immigrants nervous. For others, ironically, it's because Montreal has become so French that you soon won't know which side of the ocean you're on...

Montreal: cosmopolitan, gastronomic and cultural

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