Following the announcement of the inauguration of 14 new stations on the new Deux-Montagnes branch of the Montreal light-rail line (Réseau express métropolitain - REM), REM employees staged a small protest on Saturday against their working conditions. The employees unionized about six months ago and are preparing to discuss their first collective agreement, but the union is already concerned about the upcoming negotiations. “We expect it to be stormy because, at present, labour relations are very partisan, very difficult, very opaque, and there is no collaboration,” said Nicolas Leduc-Lafantaisie, regional president of the Syndicat de la fonction publique et parapublique du Québec (SFPQ), in an interview with The Canadian Press. The SFPQ represents some 40 employees responsible for maintaining REM buildings. In particular, it criticizes the new REM operator, Pulsar, for not complying with the health and safety rules of the Quebec workers’ health and safety board (CNESST). The employer asserts that the health and safety of employees “remains an absolute priority.” “We fully comply with our regulatory obligations in terms of labour relations and health and safety, while doing everything possible to provide optimal service to the public,” said Pulsar’s communications director, Catherine Maurice, in an email sent to The Canadian Press. Since the employees unionized, Leduc-Lafantaisie claims that a witch hunt has been underway to punish those responsible. “All the people who have been involved in unionization are being called in for repeated meetings. Some have been dismissed,” he said. Maurice, for her part, says the company is negotiating “in good faith with all the unions” representing the various job categories. The demonstration, organized by the SFPQ, took place from 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the Deux-Montagnes station, which was inaugurated with great fanfare on Friday in the presence of numerous dignitaries, including Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier François Legault. The REM also offered free access to the entire network on the weekend, particularly between the Deux-Montagnes and Gare Centrale stations, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., to allow public transport users to discover the new REM routes, which had only five stations before the Deux-Montagnes branch line to Montreal’s northern suburbs came into service. The goal of the event, explained Leduc-Lafantaisie, is to distribute flyers to raise awareness among visitors. “It’s a beautiful facility, it’s great, it’s new, but you should know that there are currently workers who are facing significant issues with their employer,” she said. The new Deux-Montagnes line of the REM will officially be in service on Monday morning, providing access to 19 stations over nearly 50 kilometres on the island of Montreal, as well as its northern and southern suburbs. The cost of the REM is estimated at $9.4 billion, which is $2.4 billion more than the initial cost estimated in 2018. Once the entire network is in service, it is estimated that there will be 150,000 trips per day. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Nov. 15, 2025.
