This is a good question. To have soul food, you need people with soul. Montreal is a great city for people with sole. Good French restos are plentiful. Some are cheap.
Lots are great.
Our soul is predominately European. The souls of others who come here are inevitably transmuted in this direction. Why, you can't even get grits in a grocery store. Ditto for Cajun and Creole cooking. The soul of Montreal, I suppose, is Gallic, and Italian, and Jewish, and Chinese, and several other types of cuisine, but not African-American soul food.