Montreal mayoral debate focused on economic issues gets heated

Projet Montreal leader Luc Rabouin and Ensemble Montreal leader Soraya Martinez Ferrada faced off in a mayoral debate on Oct. 2, 2025.

A debate on Thursday night between the two main rivals vying for mayor of Montreal, Projet Montréal’s Luc Rabouin and Ensemble Montréal’s Soraya Martinez Ferrada, got more heated than usual.

The debate was organized by the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal (CCMM) and centred on economic issues.

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Both mayoral candidates shared their plans for the city, with Rabouin focusing on housing.

He insisted that the “homeless crisis” is “clearly my first priority,” as he talked about building more homes through partnerships with developers.

Meanwhile, Martinez Ferrada talked about homelessness and security.

“I said that I was going to put a table of mayors connected to the executive committee because we need to have the same services in every borough,” she said. “I think we need to be governing the city together in order to do that.”

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Other issues that took precedence were infrastructure, transportation and productivity.

At times, the debate got heated, including one moment where Rabouin accused Martinez Ferrada of not having a “proper plan.”

“My opponent is pessimistic,” he argued.

Martinez Ferrada was quick to shoot back, pointing out that it can take a long time to get something done in the city.

She explained that red tape often slows down progress, especially in Rabouin’s own borough of Plateau-Mont-Royal.

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“We have too much bureaucracy,” she insisted, adding that if she’s elected, she’ll get rid of 1,000 city employees within four years.

Voters are slated to head to the polls on Nov. 2.