The first time Soraya Martinez Ferrada set foot in Montreal, she was a seven-year-old refugee fleeing Pinochet’s dictatorship with her family. Decades later, she made history as the first woman of immigrant background elected mayor of the city, in a journey that traces from Chile to city hall while leaving many personal details unconfirmed.
Full name: Soraya Marisel Martínez Ferrada ·
Date of birth: August 28, 1972 ·
Current position: Mayor of Montreal, leader of Ensemble Montréal ·
Previous role: Canadian federal minister under Justin Trudeau ·
Notable fact: First woman of immigrant background to become mayor of Montreal
Quick snapshot
- Full name: Soraya Marisel Martínez Ferrada (Wikipedia)
- Born August 28, 1972, in Santiago, Chile (Wikipedia)
- Fled Pinochet dictatorship in 1980 (Liberal Party of Canada)
- Elected mayor of Montreal in November 2025 (CBC News)
- Marital status — name of husband or partner not widely confirmed until 2026 (Wikipedia)
- Religious affiliation — no public statement from her office (CityNews Montreal)
- Exact number of children — sources range from one to three (IMDb)
- 1972: Born in Santiago, Chile (Wikipedia)
- 1980: Family arrived in Canada as political refugees (Liberal Party of Canada)
- 2005: Elected to Montreal city council (CityNews Montreal)
- 2019: Elected MP for Hochelaga (Wikipedia (Russian))
- 2023–2025: Minister of Tourism of Canada (Wikipedia (Russian))
- November 2025: Elected mayor of Montreal (CBC News)
- Leads Montreal’s 2026 budget negotiations as mayor (Ensemble Montréal)
- Continues Ensemble Montréal’s platform on housing and transit (Ensemble Montréal)
- Represents Montreal at international mayoral summits (CBC News)
The following table consolidates the most reliable public details about Martinez Ferrada.
| Label | Value |
|---|---|
| Full name | Soraya Marisel Martínez Ferrada |
| Born | August 28, 1972, Santiago, Chile |
| Current office | Mayor of Montreal (since November 2025, CBC News) |
| Political party | Ensemble Montréal |
| Previous federal office | Minister of Tourism (2023–2025, Wikipedia) |
| Education | Master’s degree from HEC Montréal (2005, Wikipedia (German)) |
| Children | Two children (including a daughter), plus a stepson per some reports (Ensemble Montréal) |
| Spouse | Pascal Delinois (mason, per 2026 profile, Wikipedia) |
| Instagram followers | 58,000+ |
Who is Soraya Martinez Ferrada?
Early life and background
Soraya Marisel Martínez Ferrada was born on August 28, 1972, in Santiago, Chile. In 1980, at age seven, she fled the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet with her family and arrived in Canada as a political refugee, as documented by the Liberal Party of Canada (official party biography). The family settled in eastern Montreal, where she grew up in the Saint-Michel neighborhood.
She studied management at HEC Montréal, earning a master’s degree in 2005, according to Wikipedia (German). That same year, she was first elected to Montreal city council, as reported by CityNews Montreal.
Her journey from child refugee to city councillor within a single generation is the core thread of her political identity — one that distinguishes her from any previous Montreal mayor.
Political career at federal level
In 2019, she was elected to the House of Commons as the MP for Hochelaga, as recorded by Wikipedia (Russian). She served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport before being appointed Minister of Tourism under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2023 — a role she held until early 2025.
- Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport (2021–2023)
- Minister of Tourism (July 2023 – March 2025, via Wikipedia)
- Resigned federal post to run for mayor of Montreal
The pattern: She climbed from municipal politics to federal cabinet, then returned to the municipal level as mayor — an unusual trajectory in Canadian politics.
Election as mayor
In November 2025, she was elected mayor of Montreal, becoming the first woman of immigrant background to hold the office. CBC News reported that she is also the first individual of Latin American descent to serve as Montreal’s mayor. She leads Ensemble Montréal, the main opposition party to Projet Montréal.
Why this matters: Her election signals a shift in Montreal’s electorate — a mayor whose personal story of immigration and refugeehood mirrors the experience of a significant and growing part of the city’s population.
“She represents a new generation of leadership in Montreal — one that reflects the diversity of the city.”
— CBC News analyst commentary
Is Soraya Martinez Ferrada married?
Details about her spouse
For years, her marital status remained one of the least-confirmed details in her public biography. However, by 2026, multiple sources had identified her husband as Pascal Delinois. Wikipedia states that she is married to Delinois and that they live in the Saint-Michel neighborhood of Montreal. The French Wikipedia entry confirms the same detail.
A 2026 profile published on MSN Canada described Delinois as a mason who owns a masonry company and has a son from a previous relationship. The same profile characterized her as a mother of two who also has a stepson.
The reliability of the husband’s name rests primarily on Wikipedia entries and a single 2026 MSN profile — neither is a primary government source. Readers should treat this detail as publicly reported but not officially confirmed by Martinez Ferrada’s office.
The implication: Her marital status remains in the gray zone between reported and verified, with no direct confirmation from her office.
Does Soraya Martinez Ferrada have children?
Number and names of children
Public sources consistently state that she has two children. The Ensemble Montréal official biography says she “chose to raise her two children in Montréal.” CityNews Montreal reports she has two children and has kept their names private.
Some sources add nuance. The 2026 MSN profile (MSN Canada) reported that she is a mother of two and also has a stepson from her husband’s previous relationship. A conflicting IMDb biography lists only one child — but IMDb is a crowd-edited platform with low credibility for biographical details.
- Confirmed: Has at least two biological children, including a daughter
- Reported but unconfirmed: Has a stepson (per MSN Canada)
- Low reliability: One child (per IMDb)
The trade-off: The core fact — she has children — is well-sourced. The precise family composition beyond two children remains in the gray zone between reported and verified.
What is Soraya Martinez Ferrada’s ethnicity?
Chilean heritage and refugee story
She was born in Santiago, Chile, and her ethnicity is Chilean / Latin American. The Liberal Party of Canada biography describes her as a “political refugee who came to Canada from Chile in 1980 with her family.” CityNews Montreal reports she arrived in Quebec as a political refugee at age seven.
Her identity as a Chilean-Canadian is central to her political narrative. CBC News emphasized that she is the first person of Latin American descent to lead Montreal — a city with a large and growing Latin American community.
Her refugee background is her most cited biographical fact, yet details about her life during the Pinochet years — how her family was targeted, where they lived, who helped them leave — are almost entirely absent from the public record. The narrative arc is clear, but the specific personal experiences that shape it remain private.
The catch: While her ethnicity is clearly Chilean and Latin American, the lack of specific details about her early life in Chile leaves a gap in her public biography.
What is Soraya Martinez Ferrada’s religion?
Public statements on religious affiliation
There is no confirmed public religious affiliation for Soraya Martinez Ferrada. Neither her official biography from Ensemble Montréal nor any major media profile — CBC News, CityNews, or Wikipedia — mentions a religious denomination.
Given that the overwhelming majority of Chileans identify as Roman Catholic (approximately 60%, per Pew Research Center), a Catholic background is plausible but entirely speculative. No campaign materials, speeches, or interviews have addressed her religious views.
- Confirmed: No public religious affiliation
- Plausible inference: Catholic background (Chilean cultural context)
- Unclear: Current religious practice or beliefs
The implication: For voters or journalists interested in this dimension of her identity, the gap is real and intentional. Unlike some Canadian politicians who discuss faith publicly, Martinez Ferrada has kept this aspect of her life entirely private.
“I am the daughter of refugees. My story is Montreal’s story. But some parts of my life I keep for my family.”
— Reportedly stated at a community event, paraphrased in CityNews Montreal coverage
For Montreal voters, the choice between a mayor whose personal story is front-and-center versus one who guards her private life closely reflects a broader tension in Canadian politics: how much of a politician’s identity is relevant to their governance. In Martinez Ferrada’s case, her family’s refugee past is the foundation of her political narrative. Her current family life — husband, children, faith — remains mostly in the background.
Her journey from exile to city hall is detailed in this comprehensive biography which covers her family background and political rise.
Frequently asked questions
Does Soraya Martinez Ferrada have a husband?
Public sources, including Wikipedia, identify her husband as Pascal Delinois, a mason who owns a masonry company. However, this information only emerged in 2026 and has not been confirmed by her office.
How many children does Soraya Martinez Ferrada have?
The Ensemble Montréal official biography says she has two children, whom she chose to raise in Montreal. Some reports, including a 2026 profile, mention a stepson from her husband’s previous relationship.
What is Soraya Martinez Ferrada’s Instagram?
Her verified Instagram handle is @sorayamartinezferrada, where she has over 58,000 followers as of early 2026.
Is Soraya Martinez Ferrada still a federal politician?
No. She resigned as Minister of Tourism and as MP for Hochelaga in early 2025 to run for mayor of Montreal, and was elected in November 2025.
When did Soraya Martinez Ferrada move to Canada?
She arrived in Canada with her family in 1980 at age seven, fleeing the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile, according to the Liberal Party of Canada biography.
What is Soraya Martinez Ferrada’s ancestry?
She is of Chilean / Latin American ancestry, born in Santiago, Chile, and arrived in Canada as a political refugee.
Does Soraya Martinez Ferrada practice a religion?
She has not publicly stated a religious affiliation. A Catholic background is possible given Chilean cultural norms, but no source confirms current religious practice.
How old is Soraya Martinez Ferrada?
Born August 28, 1972, she was 52 years old at the time of her election as mayor in November 2025.
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Daniel Campbell is Editor-in-Chief at True North Brief, overseeing editorial standards, publication decisions and corrections.