Montreal has a new mayor, and with a new job comes a new paycheque.
Soraya Martinez Ferrada was elected on Sunday and will now take over as the head of Quebec's largest city. But how much will the Ensemble Montréal leader actually earn as mayor of Montreal?
Based on the City of Montreal's 2024 expense reports, we can get a pretty good idea of what her salary will look like by looking at what outgoing mayor Valérie Plante was paid last year.
In 2024, Plante earned a total of $221,298, which included:
• $132,840.68 in base salary
• $88,457.90 in allowances and additional compensation tied to her various roles
If Martinez Ferrada receives a similar compensation package, it will mark a significant drop from what she was making in Ottawa.
Earlier this year, she stepped down as the Liberal MP for Hochelaga and as the federal Minister of Tourism (and Minister responsible for Quebec’s regional economic development) to run for mayor. At the time, her federal pay totalled $301,900, broken down as:
• $203,100 base MP salary
• $96,800 ministerial salary
• $2,000 car allowance
That's roughly an $80,600 decrease, or about 36% less than what she was earning as a federal minister.
Who is Soraya Martinez Ferrada?
Montreal's incoming mayor isn't new to municipal politics.
Martinez Ferrada moved to Montreal from Chile at age 8 as a political refugee with her family. She first entered Montreal city politics in 2005 as a councillor in Saint-Michel under former mayor Gérald Tremblay with Union Montréal.
She later sat as an independent in 2007 before joining Vision Montréal, first under Benoit Labonté and then Louise Harel. She lost her seat in the 2009 municipal election.
Outside city hall, she made her return to politics on the federal stage in 2019, when she was elected as the Liberal MP for Hochelaga, a riding she represented until her resignation in February 2025 to seek the leadership of Ensemble Montréal. In 2023, she was appointed Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for the Canada Economic Development Agency for the Regions of Québec (DEC).
Martinez Ferrada is now set to become the first Montreal mayor of immigrant origin, with roots in Chile, and she will officially take office with a salary that reflects the role but is a noticeable step down from her time in Ottawa.
Curious to see how voting played out in each Montreal borough? You can check out our breakdown here.
This story was inspired by the article "Voici quel sera le salaire de la nouvelle mairesse de Montréal, Soraya Martinez Ferrada" which was originally published on Narcity Quebec
