How much does housing cost in Montreal? The government doesn't know

Quebec Prime Minister François Legault has been hit with a barrage of criticism after he named the cost of rent in Montreal. What's wrong with that? That in reality the cost of rent in this city is twice as high.

"I would say the cost starts at $500 to $600 CAD per month," Lego said when asked during the National Convention about how much apartments cost in Montreal.

Journalists and the public have decided that the Prime Minister's words confirm how far the government is from the reality in which ordinary people live.

"If you rent a closet, maybe," one Facebook user commented on Lego's statement.

Lego later tried to justify himself to reporters, citing that his words had been misinterpreted. He explained that the question was about the rent to be paid by the students when the full-time classes begin in September.

"I said the rent for a student starts at $500 to $600 CAD per month and goes up to $1,000," he said. — Many students rent an apartment for two, three, four."

The question was posed by Manon Massé, the speaker for Solidarité du Québec, the province's left-wing political party. Masse did begin by saying that students would soon be returning to the city, but the question was rather unambiguous: "Do you know what the average price of rent in Montreal is?"

Lego also said his government is funding the construction of 15,000 social housing units, 3,000 of which have already been built, and that he has many friends among the middle class, so it is unfair to call him detached from reality.

Tenant rights groups have already organized protests in several Quebec cities, calling on the government to tighten controls on rising rent prices.

According to portal Numbeo, as of April 2021, the average rent for a studio apartment in Montreal is $1,271 CAD per month downtown and $875 CAD on the outskirts.