A bilingual city, Montreal is the second largest French-speaking city in the world. It has a colourful cosmopolitan flair with a distinct personality, and is positioned as both a cultural and commercial bridge between North America and Europe.  Montreal sustains a strong economic base with steady growth in the aerospace, pharmaceutical, biotech and electronic sectors.  The city has the most competitive operating costs of any large North American metropolitan area. It enjoys a “brain-powered” economy as a result of its highly educated work force. With four universities, Montreal has the largest pool of university graduates in Canada.