Eighteen years have passed since the last meeting of IAML members on Canadian soil. This meeting took place in 1994 in Ottawa, Ontario, the nation's capital. This time around, the event will be held in Montreal, the metropolis of the province of Quebec, a predominantly francophone province in Canada with a population of nearly 7.9 million people who are referred to as Québécois. With its rich French heritage, Quebec is distinct from other Canadian provinces. Indeed, it is the only predominantly French-speaking society in North America. Often described as the crossroads of European and North American culture, Quebec is a unique place and a destination of choice.
Montreal is a beautiful and historic island city, renowned for its many universities, its research centers, its cultural and artistic life, and its excellent restaurants and hotels. Both French and English are widely spoken. Situated in the southwest of the province, along the St. Lawrence River, Montreal is the largest city in Quebec and the second largest city in Canada after Toronto. Its neighbours include Ontario to the west and the United States to the south. Around 1.7 million people make up the city's multicultural population; the larger metropolitan area claims close to 4 million residents. In 2006, approximately 52.4% of the population were of francophone, 32.4% were allophone (of cultures and languages other than French or English), and 12.5% were anglophone.
The city of Montreal takes its name from Mount Royal (or Mons realis), the mountain at the center of the Island of Montreal named by explorer Jacques Cartier in 1535. The French settled on the Island of Montreal in 1642 and on May 17 of that year Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve and Jeanne Mance founded Ville-Marie. Remains of the French presence in Montreal can be seen in the historic district of le Vieux Port.
Montreal hosted the 1967 World's Fair and the 1976 Summer Olympic Games. Each year, the city welcomes the Montreal World Film Festival, the Festival international de jazz de Montréal, and the Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada. The city has been home to the Montréal Canadiens since the hockey club’s founding in 1909.
To learn more about Montréal, visit the official web site of Tourisme Montréal.