London is a finance capital, New York a media powerhouse, Los Angeles the heart of cinema, and Bangkok is for exotic tourism.

What about Montréal?

Our Toronto host across the table was wondering how to present Montréal to outsiders.

I swiped through Le Cirque du Soleil, the F1 Grand Prix, the Jazz Festival, McGill university. The St-Viateur bagels. Could it be a poutine from La Banquise? Or the striking student movements. Or the underground music scene.

I remember many faces, such as the French who wanted to escape a poor job market and the difficulties of starting a business. Even if it meant rough Montréal weather.

I have shared good times here with Mexicans, Argentinians and Colombians. They were young, open to the world and spoke Spanish, English and French. Make that four languages for the Brazilians!

I crossed paths with an old university lecturer from Romania. He supported his family by delivering newspapers in early morning hours.

I remember taxi drivers from Haiti and North Africa.

My last thought was friends from my high school classes in Nairobi, Kenya. More than half stayed at one point or another in Montréal.

Aha! moment

It all made sense with the French High school. Back then, Montréal was for us the New York city for francophones. It told our Toronto host the city represents the American dream, en français.

Why not forgo French and instead turn towards English?

The past centuries glows on the French language, with its literature giants, Victor Hugo, Emile Zola, Guy de Maupassant, Baudelaire. The memory of Paris attracting American writers and musicians in the 30s, or French being the lingua franca of diplomacy and international relations in the 17th and 18th century. We please in learning conjugation, intricate grammar rules. We write structured essays that would make Michel Eyquem de Montaigne proud. And we delight in discussing recent french literature we’ve read, be it an easy Albert Camus book or a twisted Proust work. Love or Hate it, French is part of our identity and legacy.

I did not know about Québec sovereignty struggles. Or potholes. Or poutine. Or beautiful Montréal girls :) Montréal’s image worldwide is instead a french-speaking metropole well set in the North American continent. A stop from New York city or Toronto, and Chicago a mere flight away. There would be snow and ice but at least you would be able to communicate with the local people. It’s with this powerful idea that makes crowds line up in embassies in North Africa, France, or sub-Saharan Africa. Montreal is New York city for them, where you can escape the heavy burden of the old Continent. Montreal is a meeting point where no one judges, a platform for many to realize their dreams.

What does it mean? Montréal has a unique opportunity to attract the brightest minds from across Europe and Africa. Exceptional francophones entrepreneurs, scientists and artists can move here to start their projects instead of Europe. Montréal ambassadors should export digital initiatives such as Notman House or District 3 all over the world. Montreal will then be for the next decades the beacon of light and hope for young francophones.

Go west.. or rather go to Montréal, young man!