Montreal Votes 2025: What each party is saying about safety & belonging this election

Rising social tensions, homelessness, and uneven enforcement of bylaws have made safety one of the defining issues of the 2025 campaign. For artists, venue owners, and community organizers, the stakes are clear: how can Montreal protect its people and its culture at the same time?

This city's sense of safety has always been tied to its sense of community: Festivals and block parties deserve just as much attention as bars and public gatherings, and some Montrealers feel safety comes from policing while others say it’s about belonging. The challenge now is how to make the city’s cultural spaces welcoming for everyone without turning them into places of surveillance or exclusion.

Ahead of the municipal election, The Main asked every party how they plan to keep Montrealers safe while ensuring cultural spaces remain open, inclusive, and vibrant. We also asked how they view policing’s role and what they would do to ensure marginalized communities feel a genuine sense of belonging in the city’s cultural life.

Editor's Note: Projet Montréal and Action Montréal did not respond to our repeated requests for an interview. The notes included for those parties are extrapolated from their published platforms.

Here’s what each party had to say in their own words, where available.

How will your administration address safety in ways that also make cultural spaces welcoming, not restrictive?

Projet Montréal – Équipe Luc Rabouin:

Projet Montréal’s 2025 platform approaches safety as both a social and environmental issue. The party commits to strengthening community-based initiatives, such as mediation and outreach programs, and to expanding support for unhoused and vulnerable populations. It pledges to maintain the city’s public presence teams in parks and downtown areas, focusing on prevention and compassion rather than punitive policing. The platform also underscores that cultural spaces should remain accessible and inclusive, supported by design strategies that prioritize lighting, accessibility, and a sense of shared ownership.

Transition Montréal – Équipe Craig Sauvé:

"Transition Montréal believes safety is built through trust, not fear. We’ll abolish random street checks that disproportionately target racialized and Indigenous Montrealers, a practice proven to have no public safety benefit. The resources currently wasted on these interventions will be redirected toward prevention, mediation, and community-based safety programs. Cultural spaces should be supported by social presence and outreach, not over-policing."

Futur Montréal – Équipe Jean-François Kacou:

"We want to work with local merchant associations to create security brigades responsible for proximity safety."

Ensemble Montréal – Équipe Soraya Martinez Ferrada:

"We want to work with community organizations, community leaders, and the police. It is by working together that we can restore a sense of security, while making sure that those places are still welcoming to everybody. We will need to consult with citizens and cultural stakeholders to ensure that any changes reflect their real needs. Only after listening will we take action."

Action Montréal – Équipe Gilbert Thibodeau:

Action Montréal’s platform frames safety primarily through the lens of public order. It calls for increased police presence, more surveillance cameras in commercial areas, and stronger enforcement of municipal bylaws. The party also proposes measures to improve lighting and cleanliness in public spaces. While it does not directly address cultural inclusivity, its focus on visibility and enforcement suggests a law-and-order approach aimed at restoring a sense of control and deterrence.

Do you see policing as the main solution, or should the city invest more in social programs and community initiatives?

Projet Montréal – Équipe Luc Rabouin:

Projet Montréal’s position balances enforcement with prevention. Its platform emphasizes investments in social programs, housing, and mental health outreach to address the root causes of insecurity. The party supports continued partnerships with community organizations and harm-reduction initiatives rather than expanding police mandates into areas better served by social services.

Transition Montréal – Équipe Craig Sauvé:

"Policing can’t substitute for community care. Our approach will limit police involvement in nightlife and cultural settings to genuine emergencies and safety issues, never for noise or presence. We’ll expand harm-reduction and social mediation programs through the Night Mayor’s Office and reinvest in training, prevention, and neighborhood outreach. The goal being more connection and communication with actors and not more policing."

Futur Montréal – Équipe Jean-François Kacou:

"The proposal in our platform is to establish the Social Intervention Service, providing an alternative to policing for social intervention and homelessness."

Ensemble Montréal – Équipe Soraya Martinez Ferrada:

"Both! For example, we promised $60 million over four years for organizations working to prevent youth violence. Sure, we need to work with the police department for security, but we need to offer alternatives to youth and people who turn towards crime for lack of better opportunity. We also plan on doubling the number of multidisciplinary teams, which includes police officers and social workers."

Action Montréal – Équipe Gilbert Thibodeau:

Action Montréal’s platform prioritizes direct policing interventions as the backbone of public safety. It advocates for increasing patrol visibility and camera coverage to deter crime and improve public confidence. The platform does not outline major investments in social programming, suggesting an enforcement-first philosophy rather than a preventative or social approach.

How would you ensure that marginalized communities feel safe and included in Montreal’s cultural life?

Projet Montréal – Équipe Luc Rabouin:

The party’s platform promotes inclusion through both cultural policy and urban planning. It highlights the importance of equitable access to public services, anti-racism initiatives, and inclusive design standards. Projet Montréal commits to maintaining and expanding programs that support Indigenous and racialized communities, women, and newcomers in civic and cultural life.

Transition Montréal – Équipe Craig Sauvé:

"By tackling systemic bias directly. Reports like the Armony studies have shown that Montreal’s current policing practices undermine trust and fuel racial profiling. We’ll follow the proven examples of Halifax and Vancouver, where ending random street checks improved community relations without any rise in crime. Our vision of safety is one where cultural life thrives because everyone, especially racialized and marginalized residents, feels they belong. Furthermore, we believe in locally specific policies by borough and even district. Local agents know best what local communities need in terms of redistribution of cultural resources."

Futur Montréal – Équipe Jean-François Kacou:

"An inclusive process requires that marginalized communities have access to the funding needed to create and connect. I will establish a fellowship program to provide mentoring and grants to artists or creators from marginalized communities."

Ensemble Montréal – Équipe Soraya Martinez Ferrada:

"Like we said earlier, our team is all about collaboration in each and every aspect of governance, whether it be for homelessness, the housing crisis or our cultural life. We want culture of all kinds to flourish. For that, we need to be inclusive of the different efforts towards cultural spaces that appeal to all communities."

Action Montréal – Équipe Gilbert Thibodeau:

The party’s focus on safety through policing and surveillance does not include specific measures aimed at marginalized communities. Its general emphasis on restoring order and addressing public disturbances may appeal to voters seeking stronger enforcement, but it offers little detail on inclusion or equity in cultural participation.