Montréal, September 12, 2025 – Soraya Martinez Ferrada, leader of Ensemble Montréal and candidate for mayor of Montréal, has pledged to cut at least 1,000 positions at the City of Montréal by the end of a first mandate.
An Ensemble Montréal administration also commits to quickly reviewing the City’s organizational chart to better reallocate positions towards citizen services.
An Ensemble Montréal administration would prioritize attrition and administrative reorganization to achieve the desired result.
Citizen services would not be affected, as most of the positions eliminated would be at the management and professional levels.
Between 2017 and 2025, under eight years of Projet Montréal, the number of managers and senior managers increased by 18%, and professionals by 39%, while the number of blue-collar workers barely changed. The result: an administrative machine that is heavier, slower, and more expensive.
Since the election of the Valérie Plante and Luc Rabouin team, Montréal’s budget has exploded by more than $2 billion, and the property tax bill for Montréalers with an average residence has increased by $1,384, or 38%. Not to mention the significant 49% increase in gross debt.
An Ensemble Montréal administration therefore commits to:
- Freezing hiring for certain categories of positions that do not provide frontline services to citizens (public safety services are excluded);
- Streamlining the City of Montréal’s structure by eliminating one level of management for faster decision-making and greater accountability;
- Giving more autonomy to boroughs by restoring certain powers and decentralizing decisions. This will be the subject of discussions and agreements with the Mayors’ Table;
- Ultimately reducing the City’s workforce by at least 1,000 positions by the end of the next mandate, notably through attrition and administrative reorganization.
Quotes:
“There has been a breakdown of trust with citizens. While their taxes increased under Projet Montréal, services deteriorated, examples of mismanagement multiplied… and City hiring skyrocketed. We want to restore order to ensure a financially healthy metropolis.”
– Soraya Martinez Ferrada, candidate for mayor and leader of Ensemble Montréal
“Montréal’s financial situation is concerning. To fix it, we must reduce our reliance on borrowing. This requires serious cleanup in our operating budget. Payroll alone represents nearly 40% of the budget. We have to tackle it.”
– Claude Pinard, Ensemble Montréal candidate for the Saint-Jacques district
“The City’s financial situation is critical. In recent years, I have seen it firsthand: the Plante-Rabouin administration spends recklessly, forcing us now to make tough choices to build a more agile, efficient, and high-performing city.”
– Aref Salem, Leader of the Official Opposition at Montréal City Hall
