A few important dates in our history
1822: City merchants found the Committee of Trade.
1857: The organization sets about dredging the St. Lawrence River and building port facilities able to handle ships with a large tonnage.
1863: The Committee of Trade founds the Port Warden's Office and the Corn Exchange.
1887: 135 merchants found the Chambre de commerce du district de Montréal, which pushes for improved railroad connections in the metropolitan region.
1892: The Chambre proposes the creation of the École des hautes études commerciales (HEC).
1940: The Chambre is instrumental in promoting the complete restructuring of Montreal's municipal government.
1984: The Chambre de commerce du district de Montréal changes its name to the Chambre de commerce de Montréal. In the fall of 1989, it undergoes another name change, becoming the Chambre de commerce du Montréal métropolitain.
1986: Manon Vennat becomes the first woman to head up the organization.
1992: The Chambre de commerce du Montréal métropolitain and the Montreal Board of Trade merge to become a single bilingual business association (The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, in English), which unites economic, social, and cultural stakeholders in the Greater Montreal region.
2002: On the heels of the creation of the new Ville de Montréal and the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal, the Chamber reaffirms its staunchly metropolitan vision for economic development.
2003: The Chamber consolidates its subsidiaries – Info entrepreneurs and the World Trade Centre Montréal – which become divisions of the Chamber offering specialized services to the greater business community
of Quebec.
2007: The Chamber introduces Cap sur le monde to facilitate the professional integration of immigrants. In 2010, in partnership with Emploi-Québec, this program is overhauled and becomes Interconnection.
2011: The Board of Trade creates the Bell International Leaders series, welcoming such internationally renowned figures as Biz Stone, Larry King, Hillary Clinton, and Chris Hadfield.
2016: The Chamber strengthens its commitment to French by launching the J’apprends le français program, which offers free, practical French courses for shopkeepers at their workplace.
2020: The Chamber launches the Relaunch MTL movement in response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 11 sector-based action plans developed in cooperation with 17 clusters and mobilization platforms.
2021: The Chamber, supported by Quebec’s Ministère de l’Économie et de l’Innovation, launches the “I love working downtown” initiative, designed to kick off a positive cycle of revitalizing downtown and create the
conditions for the lasting relaunch of the area after the COVID-19 pandemic.
2022: The Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal celebrates its 200th anniversary.