Nothing is going well within Quebec 21, the only municipal party in the national capital to oppose the tramway. Its leader, Éric Ralph Mercier, undertook a purge within his troops, speaking out against him and provoking the disavowal of the two other elected members of the formation.
The first two victims of the sweep are part of the high hierarchy of the group: Nathalie Blanchet, president of the party, and Richard Côté, chief of staff of the training, both learned of their dismissal by telephone Tuesday.
“I’ve seen leaders,” explains Mr. Côté, recalling his five terms and his 18 years in politics. “Unfortunately, Éric Ralph Mercier is not a chef. He doesn’t have the stature, nor does he have the rigor. »
Lack of attendance, dubious preparation, media invisibility: the list of recriminations against Mr. Mercier is long and the discontent within the party goes back a long way, he says. “On June 14, the Board of Directors held a meeting. One member really put the chief in the corner: he told him that he was never in the media, that absolutely nothing was happening on the radio, that his interventions at the city council were pitiful. »
After being so harshly rebuffed and so openly challenged, Éric Ralph Mercier would have asked for a period of reflection to prepare for his planned release in the fall. Then, on Tuesday, a dramatic turn of events: he calls his chief of staff to announce two major decisions. “He told me that he was still chief and that he was forced to fire me because I no longer trusted him. I didn’t understand anything,” testifies Mr. Côté.
During the summer, Éric Ralph Mercier would have asked his chief of staff if he had a chance of becoming mayor of Quebec one day. “He asked me for the truth: I told him,” recalls Richard Côté. “It was no. »
“A ‘special’ guy”
Éric Ralph Mercier dragged a few pans of his time at the head of the Quebec delegation to Mexico. Several allegations, in particular about his lack of attendance at work, had surfaced at the time – things that the principal concerned has always denied vehemently.
Richard Côté, he begins to believe in their veracity. “At the beginning, he arrived telling us that he wanted to bring a new vision to the party. I was like, “Wow, this is going to be the fun !” Nine months later, I’m still waiting for his new vision. »
The dismissals of the chief of staff and the president of Quebec 21 do not seem to have been the subject of any consultation within the caucus. The two other elected members of the party, Bianca Dussault and Jean-François Gosselin, only learned of it once the ax fell.
At the end of the day on Thursday, they both publicly disavowed their leader. “If I were him, I would make an honorable exit and I would leave,” said Councilor Dussault from the forecourt of City Hall. The latter took Mr. Mercier’s place as spokesperson for the Second Official Opposition in a sign of contesting his leadership.
The last week is a public reflection of the nine months of Mr. Mercier’s reign, according to Richard Côté. “It was messy. We tried to cover up when it didn’t look good, but honestly, it was pathetic. It’s going to be even more so because he’s all alone; he no longer has anyone. »
Behind the scenes, Mr. Côté admits that he called the captain of Quebec 21 the “phantom leader” because of his repeated absences and his allergy to press briefings. A quip that he does not deny today, when the man supposed to hold the helm seems determined to scuttle the entire ship. “He’s a ‘special’ guy, I’ll put it that way,” concludes Richard Côté.
At the time these lines were written, The duty failed to reach Éric Ralph Mercier.