The former party of Denis Coderre emerged from the last municipal elections with a hefty debt of more than $760,000, show figures obtained by The Press. Now that the ex-mayor has retired, Ensemble Montréal intends to “get out of debt” and “go green” by the end of 2024, under a recovery plan already in motion.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
“We all want to end this debt once and for all. All our elected officials are mobilizing to raise money, ”says the leader of the opposition, Aref Salem, who has been acting in the leadership since the withdrawal of Denis Coderre, following his second defeat. against Valerie Plante.
As of December 31, Ensemble Montréal had accumulated a significant debt of $764,919.75. A reimbursement from the CEO, which should come this year after the release of the financial statements at the beginning of April, will however free up $450,000. Ultimately, by adding its line of credit of $80,000, a bank loan of $271,000 and loans to its voters of $130,600 – but subtracting the profits from fundraising activities – the party estimates that its debt will be $481,600.
It is still more than $57,000 additional compared to the debt of $424,387 which had been announced by Ensemble Montreal last April, when Denis Coderre took over the reins of the formation.
Mobilization of members, fundraising campaigns, redefinition of the party: everything is on the line to get out of “debt”, argues Aref Salem, however, in an interview with The Press. According to our information, the idea of asking for a deposit of several thousand dollars from the party’s elected officials had even circulated internally in recent months, which the party refuses to confirm, however.
“At this rate, in the best of all possible worlds, we estimate that within two and a half years, we will be able to start putting money aside for the next campaign. We will certainly have a kitty in 2025 to hold an election without borrowing. It is major, what we are starting as an operation, ”assures Mr. Salem, who himself was a member of the executive committee of the former Coderre administration.
Building on “record” donations
Ensemble Montreal’s general manager, Sébastien Lachaine, says he wants to build on a very successful year in donations, despite a campaign that cost nearly $1.4 million. “In 2021, we had donations and income from our members which are really record, honestly. We are talking about donations of $607,000. We had never had that before. And there is also $22,155 in membership revenue, so it was a very good year,” he said, referring to a “not bold” but “realistic” recovery plan.
Except that at the time, the “Coderre effect” was mainly responsible for this surge in donations. Despite this, Aref Salem is not overly concerned about the effect that the final departure of the ex-mayor will have on his party’s coffers.
We always have people who are there. Our depth is still present to bring the party elsewhere.
Aref Salem, leader of Ensemble Montreal
He also wants to “rebuild” Ensemble Montréal to make it a party “in good and due form”. “We will no longer be a banner. At the municipal level, a party is often that of the mayor, who always has a certain power. What we are going to try to do here is to create a party independent of a mayor, with values in which people believe. It’s a change of vision, of culture,” insists Mr. Salem.
“Our group has more elected officials than in 2017, and more young elected officials too. We see this wave in the youth who want to give. We try to make the party attractive for a leader eventually. Me, I see in 2025, it will no longer be a campaign of anyone, neither of character nor of temperament. It’s going to be more of a campaign based on what we can offer,” adds Mr. Salem, who is sorry that the last campaign focused “on the personality of Denis Coderre” and not on his party’s platform.
According to the latest news, Projet Montréal, the mayor’s party, was on its side in a much better position, with $567,000 in its coffers and an election kitty of $476,829. In 2017, the party held $170,674, down $306,155. Updated party figures will be known in early April.