Does Montreal need to #BuildTheLoop? with Dru Oja Jay - Metropolis

Welcome to Metropolis, the weekly show where we bring you top level news from the bottom up in Montréal, Québec.

The first topic of discussion is a fantasy map that went viral on tiktok and twitter. Titled The Greater Northeast Corridor, the map was made in 2019 by Adam Susaneck, an NYC-based architect. The map imagines a high speed rail network that would connect Montreal, Boston, New York City, Washington DC, Detroit, and Toronto. This proposed high speed rail line would make it possible to travel from Montreal to Toronto or Boston in less than an hour. Despite the improbability of the project, there are many ways that this would change Montreal and the broader region.

Recently city hall has released the 2024 municipal budget. The expenditures are almost at $7 billion. Many outlets are focussing on the tax hikes present in the budget but Dru and Kalden discuss the limitations of such revenue gathering policies and the simple coverage around it.

This month has seen the largest strike action in Canadian history. Le front commun strikes have brought 566,000 public sector workers across Quebec to the picket lines. The workers are demanding wage increases and improved working conditions. The strikes that are set to continue have become the longest public sector strike in Quebecois history according to the front commun which is made up of the CSN, CSQ, APTS, and FTQ unions. Dru and Kalden talk about the magnitude of the strikes and the precedent setting waves that public sector strikes have played in Canadian history.

Québec Solidaire has a new co-spokesperson, the left leaning provincial party that is pejoratively called “a party of Montréal” has recently elected Emilise Lessard Therrien as their new co-spokesperson. Emilise Lessard Therrien is a former MNA from Abitibi Temiscamingue. She lost her seat in 2021. With this new spokesperson being elected in a close race against Ruba Ghazal, the party is clearly attempting to shake off the notion that they exist only to serve Montreal interests. Currently the party, the second official opposition in the National Assembly, has 8 MNAs from Montreal and 3 from other cities. Can the party expand their urban base and reach out into the regions? Kalden and Dru discuss this potential trajectory.

Lastly, will the war on Christmas reach Canada? Dru shares a worrying National Post article on a supposed “war on Christmas” by Trudeau appointees. Despite the frivolous subject, the Quebec government of Legault has pounced on the story. Dru and Kalden unpack the speed at which these media spins can take hold of political discussion.