PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Denis Coderre announced on Friday that he was leaving politics.
After a long silence that was beginning to sound like sulking, Denis Coderre finally announced what everyone had a presentiment of: he is leaving politics. He will therefore not sit as leader of the opposition in the City of Montreal.
It is a wise decision.
Mr. Coderre had assured us, in an editorial meeting, that he wanted to stay. But no one was fooled: he dreamed of running a metropolis. Point.
And if we trust the tone of the campaign that ended last Sunday, his presence on the city council would have created a climate not conducive to collaboration. However, in municipal politics, a certain collaboration is the keystone of the proper functioning of a city.
It is enough to have followed the municipal scene in Longueuil over the past few years to be convinced. Faced with a majority and above all hostile opposition, Mayor Sylvie Parent did not have free rein and her mandate was marked by several clashes. The citizens of Longueuil watched helplessly at a desolate theater.
The example of Longueuil does not mean that there is no room for the opposition in city councils. On the contrary. But it expresses itself in a different way than on the provincial and federal stages. This is explained first of all by the fact that there are few political parties organized on the municipal scene. Parties are often empty shells around a candidate personality. The shell quickly cracks in case of defeat.
In the city council, the opposition plays a watchdog role. It has a budget and political staff to search files and ask questions. But it can also rally to the ruling party on certain issues. In Quebec, the new opposition leader, Claude Villeneuve, said he would work as a team with the new mayor, Bruno Marchand. And he has not closed the door to the idea of serving on the executive committee if invited. This was accepted by Richard Bergeron, founder of Projet Montréal, who agreed to join Mayor Coderre’s party in 2016, arguing no doubt that he would make things happen more from the inside.
If we trust the attitude of Mr. Coderre towards Valérie Plante throughout the campaign – he did not even deign to call her to congratulate her as is the tradition – we can imagine badly pound on his pride and stretch out his hand to his adversary.
Let us be understood. It is not forbidden to be grumpy in life. And we can have a combative style in politics if that suits us. But when you advertise a radical change with a lot of publicity, you create expectations. Mr. Coderre had convinced many Montrealers to give him a second chance. In the end, his elastic conception of ethics and his lack of transparency about his past contracts made him the architect of his own misfortune.
He leaves behind a messed up party. Ensemble Montréal may have had six borough mayors elected, the organization – which will occupy 23 of the 65 seats on the municipal council – has lost large pieces, including its leader for recent years, Lionel Perez. This coalition will have to rebuild itself if it is to survive until the next elections.
That said, we must thank Mr. Coderre for his contribution to the public debate. He did not count his hours during the campaign and he came up with some good ideas. Some of his proposals – on public safety in particular – even forced Valérie Plante to reposition herself.
We do not know exactly what was said within the walls of Casa Italia, where he met his team on Friday morning, but one thing is certain: Denis Coderre will no longer run for mayor of Montreal.
We wish him good luck for the future.
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