[maple_leaf_eh]

Generally speaking, industrial Montreal did not survive the 1980's. Post WWII was prosperous and thriving, dependant on a rising economy and increased immigration. The language tensions of the 1960's, culminating in the FLQ Crisis of 1970 took the wind out of most traditional institutions in the province. The election of the PQ government in 1976 was the proverbial straw. A convenient release valve was a welcoming business climate in Ontario and the expansion of the oil and gas economy in Alberta. By the mid-80's, most of the existing Quebec industries had either decamped further West or converted themselves to appearing more nationalist-friendly. Oh, and the high interest rates of the early 1980's didn't help one bit. All this to say, what was there once, isn't there now.