Soraya Martinez Ferrada: From Refugee to Key Political Figure in Montreal

By Levy Barragán

Arriving in Montreal in the late 1980s as a political refugee from Chile’s dictatorship, Soraya Martinez Ferrada has lived a story of integration and resilience. As a child, she attended a welcome class while her mother learned French at an immigrant centre. Together, they built a new life in Montreal.

While raising her two children, she studied at HEC Montréal (École des Hautes Études Commerciales de Montréal). There were times when she relied on food banks, an experience that strengthened her conviction that social services must be robust enough to guarantee people’s dignity.

Her political career began in 2005, when she was elected city councillor for Saint-Michel. From that position, she participated in major urban transformation projects, including the conversion of the Miron Quarry into Frédéric-Back Park — now considered a model of sustainable development. She also championed the long-awaited undergrounding of electrical cables along Jarry Street, a community demand pending for four decades. In addition, she helped organize the Sommet de la culture, which gave rise to the Quartier des spectacles, now a cornerstone of Montreal’s cultural scene.

Later, as chief of staff to Louise Harel, she was part of a team that exposed inequalities in municipal services between districts and alleged irregularities in public works contracts — contributing to the debate that led to the creation of the Carbonneau Commission.

After that period, she stepped away from partisan politics and focused on community and environmental management, particularly through TOHU, a cultural and environmental centre founded in 2004 in Saint-Michel.

The name TOHU in French evokes “bustle” or “vibrant mix” — a metaphor for creative and community energy. The organization embraces three key dimensions:

Circus arts: In partnership with Cirque du Soleil and the École nationale de cirque, it serves as a space for creation, performance, and training.

Environmental engagement: One of the largest urban ecological recovery projects in North America, it promotes sustainable practices across all its events.

Community development: It fosters civic participation and local growth, engaging Saint-Michel residents in cultural and environmental activities.

Return to Politics

In 2015, Martinez Ferrada entered federal politics as a senior advisor and chief of staff at the Department of Canadian Heritage.

Four years later, she was elected Liberal MP for Hochelaga — a riding that had not elected a Liberal representative in 30 years. In Parliament, she focused on food security, housing, and urban revitalization. Among her initiatives were financial support for Hochelaga’s first large-scale vertical urban farm; promotion of partnerships between local governments and private entities such as the creation of Viauville Linear Park; and backing for affordable housing projects in Hochelaga and eastern Montreal.

Her federal career has included roles as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministers of Immigration, Transport, and Housing.

In 2023, she was appointed Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED). She organized the first Eastern Montreal Summit, which gathered more than 700 economic, social, and community stakeholders to drive regional development initiatives. She also launched programs to strengthen the social economy, promote local innovation, and expand Indigenous tourism in Quebec and across Canada.

In February 2025, she was elected leader of the Ensemble Montréal party and announced her bid for mayor of Montreal, emphasizing citizen participation, transparency, and inclusive development.

The Housing and Homelessness Crisis

According to a report commissioned by the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) for the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (MSSS), the number of people experiencing “visible homelessness” increased by approximately 44% between April 2018 and October 2022.

A province-wide count conducted on October 11, 2022, estimated about 10,000 people experiencing homelessness or living in shelters across Quebec, with roughly 4,690 located on the Island of Montreal (CityNews Toronto, Infotel.ca).

A subsequent nighttime count on April 23, 2024, found 9,307 homeless individuals across Quebec — nearly 42% of them in Montreal.

To address the housing and homelessness crisis, Soraya Martinez Ferrada has announced the creation of a “Tactical Intervention Task Force on Homelessness” as part of her first 100-day plan. The initiative includes a $120-million investment and the use of vacant city-owned land to tackle the issue. As a complementary measure, she has proposed fast-tracking the construction of off-market housing on municipal land, waiving certain procedures, and reducing costs to achieve a 20% affordable-housing target. She has also committed to implementing a rental registry, one of her key campaign promises.

With a career spanning all three levels of government — municipal, provincial, and federal — Soraya Martinez Ferrada has built a reputation grounded in community work, project management, and the pursuit of concrete solutions to urban challenges.

Her experience in both municipal and federal arenas has allowed her to develop a holistic vision of urban issues and the opportunities presented by Montreal’s social, cultural, and economic diversity. Combined with her leadership rooted in empathy — shaped by her experience as a refugee — and her ability to bring together multiple stakeholders across government and the private sector, she continues to advocate for coordinated and pragmatic solutions for the city’s future.

Photos: Ensemble Montréal.
*With information from social media, local media, and Ensemble Montréal.