Two days have passed since the crushing defeat of Denis Coderre and the suspense persists, will he agree to sit as leader of the official opposition at town hall? According to what TVA Nouvelles has learned, the politician is due to make his response known this week.
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If most of the candidates of Ensemble Montreal have decided to remain silent until the decision of their leader, Réal Ménard, who was defeated in the Mercier – Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough, had no embarrassment in pointing out this that went wrong during the campaign.
He mentions in particular the late disclosure of the mandates, clients, contracts and salary of Mr. Coderre, who has acted as a consultant in the private sector in recent years.
For Mr. Ménard, three factors explain the defeat of Denis Coderre.
First, the former mayor of Mercier – Hochelaga-Maisonneuve mentions “ethical ambiguities” which have not been noted.
“People understand that Mr. Coderre worked in the private sector, people have the right to earn a living, but when you aspire to lead Montreal, you have to explain where your income comes from. The way everything was presented gave the impression that there was a lack of transparency and in the last week, we felt that the carpet was slipping under our feet, ”explains Réal Ménard.
The latter also evokes the many candidates who have been talked about for the wrong reasons.
Third, the position of Ensemble Montreal has hurt the party in certain neighborhoods, says Ménard.
“It could be interpreted as support for institutional bilingualism. We should not have asked for amendments to Law 96 ”, he emphasizes.
Marvin Rotrand, who has just retired after 39 years of active politics in Montreal, gave his support last summer to Denis Coderre. If he continues to believe that Coderre was the best candidate to lead Montreal, he admits that the mistakes of the course did not help him.
“Three weeks before the election, I was convinced he was going to win, but Denis Coderre lost because he let Valérie Plante divert his message. She told voters: “you must have a doubt about Mr. Coderre” and he did not really respond, “said Mr. Rotrand.
For his part, Michel Bissonnet, mayor of Saint-Léonard for the Ensemble Montreal team, believes that Denis Coderre should have publicly revealed his contracts well before the last days of the campaign.
Mr. Bissonnet, who has accumulated 44 years of active political life, also wants Denis Coderre to accept the post of leader of the opposition.
“He delivered a solid speech on Sunday evening, it came from the heart, with passion. I hope he will remain leader of the opposition with the experience he has, that will provide better advice, ”proclaims Michel Bissonnet.