In the aftermath of her resounding victory against Denis Coderre, Valérie Plante promised to quickly get to work to advance her priorities in the first 100 days of her mandate. For his part, Denis Coderre has remained silent about his intentions and his political future.
“Yesterday, Montrealers offered us a huge mark of confidence,” said the mayor-designate on Monday, accompanied by several candidates. “We accept this mandate with great humility. It is a great responsibility. […] We will live up to expectations. “
Valérie Plante mentioned security and housing issues among her priorities, but also those related to green recovery and ecological transition. “When you think of the environment, there’s no time to mess around. We have to move forward, ”she said.
Mme Plante lamented the low turnout in Montreal, which barely exceeded 38%. “Historically, when there are two consecutive elections, it is never the second that is favored,” she said. There may be some shortness of breath. In addition, we are still in a pandemic period. “
She refuted the words of Denis Coderre, who, Sunday night, said it was the “dirtiest” election campaign he had experienced. “I thought it was a campaign with a lot of emphasis on ideas,” she said. A campaign for our part super positive, like Projet Montreal. I think that at some point, each candidate must be able to do an introspection of the work that has been done, of the selection process of certain candidates. “
It has also shown itself open to welcoming members of the opposition to its executive committee.
Day after defeat
In Denis Coderre’s camp, it was radio silence on Monday. The conductor of Ensemble Montreal has not made public comments. However, he wrote a text message to Valérie Plante to wish her good luck, Project Montreal said.
The candidates of Ensemble Montreal were also discreet. Joined by The duty, Hadrien Parizeau did not hide his bitterness following his defeat at the hands of Project Montreal candidate Julie Roy. “The vote for Denis Coderre collapsed at the end of the campaign,” said the outgoing councilor for the district of Saint-Sulpice.
But Hadrien Parizeau attributes part of his defeat to the decision taken by Denis Coderre to request changes to Bill 96 in order to review the definition of “historic Anglophones”. “I was very uncomfortable with this position, and Mr. Coderre didn’t seem able to explain it. People approached me about this in my district, ”said Mr. Parizeau, who advocated the creation of a Montreal French language council. Mr. Coderre’s “convoluted” position was indefensible for him.
Hadrien Parizeau does not believe that Denis Coderre will assume the functions of leader of the opposition. The leader therefore risks leaving politics, leaving a party even more in debt than in 2017, he said.
The duty tried to reach other candidates from Ensemble Montreal, but without success. The party finds itself decimated as a result of this election, and several pillars of the team have had to forfeit. This is the case of Lionel Perez, leader of the opposition for four years, who suffered an unexpected defeat against Gracia Kasoki Katahwa, of Projet Montréal, as mayor of Côte-des-Neiges – Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. .
Karine Boivin-Roy, leader of the opposition, was beaten at the town hall of Mercier – Hochelaga-Maisonneuve facing Pierre Lessard-Blais, as was Guillaume Lavoie, who saw the town hall of Villeray – Saint-Michel – Parc-Extension escape him for the benefit of LaurenceLavigne Lalonde. Nadine Gelly, whom Denis Coderre intended to appoint president of the executive committee, was not elected either.
Professor at the National School of Public Administration (ENAP), Rémy Trudel does not believe that Ensemble Montréal will last long. “There is no future for Ensemble Montreal. […] It is a party that had been put in the orphanage for three years, ”he recalled.
As for Denis Coderre, he will possibly return to his role of consultant and could even sit on the boards of directors of national organizations, thinks Mr. Trudel. “For now, we must put a cross on his political career even if it is a political beast. In the greater Montreal area, it was not the boxers who triumphed, it was the resilient. “
If the election results remain unchanged, Projet Montréal will hold 37 seats on the municipal council, against 23 for Ensemble Montréal. Team LaSalle will have three seats, and Team Anjou, two.