Montreal Business Manners 3

11. Business Meetings

• It is best to arrive five minutes early and to turn off your cell phone before you arrive.


• In some more formal or more friendly meetings, we may be expected to shake hands when we arrive and when we leave.

• It is common to begin the discussion with some informal talk about sports and the weather

• Business is discussed in the middle of the meeting while the reunion ends on a positive note.

• Business and work meetings usually follow an agenda with specific topics and objectives. 


• During meetings, men and women express their opinions freely. 


• Long and short meetings require a good amount of understanding and cooperation from everyone.


• Time is a very important factor in our society.

• Many of us see meetings as a waste of time, whereas people from other cultures regard them as rightly invested in learning and in trusting each other.

12. Business People

• We use the general term "business people" because of our statistics.

• Montreal is among the best cities in the world for female employees and entrepreneurs.

• Women receive respect from their male colleagues and expect the same from foreigners.

• Women have earned high regard and are now found in powerful positions in all walks of life. 

• Faced with unwanted sexual overtures, women and men will firmly make it clear that the relation is professional not personal.

13. Business Values

• Compliance to schedules and deadlines.

• Cooperation and flexibility at work.


• Effectiveness of business and social contacts.


• Equal opportunities. Hiring and promotions based on skills.

• Tasks regulated by an employment contract.

14. Canadian Currency 

• If you use your bank debit card, you must match the logo of your card to the ATM machine in order to withdraw money.

• The PLUS network is associated with Visa and the CIRRUS network is associated with MasterCard.

• INTERAC is available to those who bank at a Canadian financial institution and have a Canadian currency account.


• Canadian money is issued in $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100 denominations by the Bank of Canada. 


• Canadian coins include loonies (1$), toonies (2$), quarters (25 cents), dimes (10 cents) and nickels (5 cents). Pennies are now things of the past.

15. Cell Phones

• Avoid personal topics when others can hear you and lower your voice when taking calls in public.


• Avoid texting and taking your calls or your messages when you are already engaged in a face-to-face conversation.


• During a meeting, if you are expecting an important call, put your phone on silent mode, slip out of the room quietly and excuse yourself when you return.

• Put your phone on the silent mode in restaurants, theaters, cinemas and other public places.