[developer2]

The industry for developers in Montreal is large; it's nigh impossible to find oneself unemployed. However, the number of "big name" companies is quite small. MindGeek (owner of PornHub) is one, Google has an office, and the game studios are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head. So while the industry is large, most of it is small private businesses you've never heard of.

The explanation as to why Montreal is a fairly busy tech hub likely has to do with salaries here vs. the expectation for equivalent talent in the US. Most companies here are actually American companies, and the only reason their offices are located here is because even senior developers tend to earn < $85k/year CAD, with $60-70k being more common. That's $48k to $70k/year USD vs. the $100-200k+ USD they'd have to pay within the US. Government incentives (looking at you, SR&ED) reimburse these companies a significant portion of developers' salaries, making it even cheaper. Canada is, for many American businesses, essentially a step above outsourcing to India.