Calls for “benevolence”, “outstretched” hands…. After years of often acrimonious debates, it is quite a change of tone that took place at the town hall of Quebec on Monday on the occasion of the first municipal council since the election.
“It will be an opportunity for healthy debates, in a new tone,” said the new mayor Bruno Marchand in his first pre-council press briefing on Monday afternoon. “We will – I hope – not always agree but respectful”, he also launched, calling for a climate of “benevolence”.
The citizens, he also asserted, “reject the aggressive policy”. “They are not interested in it and abandon it” which, according to him, is reflected in the low rate of participation in the elections (45%).
With only six elected in his formation, Mr. Marchand had, last week, to invite members of the opposition to sit on the executive committee. And this, including the chef of Québec 21 Jean-François Gosselin who will be responsible for recreation and sports.
A decision welcomed by the new leader of the opposition party, Éric R. Mercier, who repeated that he “extended his hand” to the mayor during his meeting with journalists.
Speaking of a “new era which is opening in Quebec”, the leader of the former party of Marie-Josée Savard, Claude Villeneuve spoke in the same positive tone. His opposition will be “positive”, “constructive” without being “a choir”, he announced.
Another sign of the transpartisan dynamic that prevails, the presidency and vice-presidency of the council have been entrusted to the elected representatives of the opposition Louis Martin and Véronique Dallaire.
Nordic: the mayor in support
While awaiting the presentation of the budget and its plan for the first 100 days, Bruno Marchand made some classifieds on Monday. Thus, the use of paper will be banned from meetings of the executive committee and the municipal council and his company car will now be hybrid.
The new mayor also indicated that, for the sake of “transparency”, he had asked the public health authorities to allow citizens to return to the room for the question period. They are currently required to submit their questions in writing.
Asked about the words of Prime Minister François Legault on a possible return of the Nordics, the mayor said that he himself had not taken any particular steps in this regard but that he was ready to help, if necessary. “If there were the Nordiques in the Videotron center, it would pay off for the city,” he said, specifying, however, that there was no question for his administration to make “financial commitments” to this regard.
Further details will follow.