Former Gatineau mayor Yves Ducharme confirmed Monday morning his candidacy for the by-elections on June 9, and intends to rely on his “experience of acting” to regain his position.
After leaving his position at real estate developer Brigil last week and mistakenly announcing his candidacy on LinkedIn, Mr. Ducharme presented his priorities on Monday morning: “services, finances and housing”. ” There are nice to havethere are must have. […] And there, we must ensure that we are capable of making tangible choices,” he declared, accompanied by the former MP for Hull, Roch Cholette,
Questioned to know if the tram is a must have, Mr. Ducharme replied that “public transportation” is one of them. “We will see what we can afford and with what we will pay it.”
Apologies to Gatineau residents
Mayor of Hull from 1992 to 2001, then mayor of Gatineau the following year — the first after the municipal merger — Mr. Ducharme was defeated by Marc Bureau in 2005, winning 31.7% of the votes against 68.3 % for Mr. Bureau. But after [son] departure from political life, [son] love for Gatineau has not dissipated,” assures the candidate.
“The time following the end of my last term allowed me to reflect carefully. I realized my mistakes,” he declared before apologizing to the people of Gatineau and his family. “I recognize that in my eagerness to make the merger of our cities a success […], I moved away from my home and the Citizen’s House and the daily priorities of Gatineau residents,” he said with great emotion. ” I beg your pardon. […] I trade distance with rapprochement and listening. »
“We did what needed to be done to place Gatineau on the international map, on the national map, on the provincial map. But now it’s time to take care of Gatineau residents. »
Mr. Ducharme, who believes that his “main adversary” is the new head of Action Gatineau, Maude Marquis-Bissonnette, is now banking on “the experience of acting” to convince citizens. “While others will need time to familiarize themselves with the responsibilities of being mayor, I will be ready to hit the ground running immediately. »
Not the promoters’ candidate
The former Brigil consultant denied representing real estate developers. “I am the candidate of all developers, of all merchants, of all those who want to bring new ideas to Gatineau and who want to invest in the city of Gatineau,” he responded to the media.
Thus, if he were to be elected, Mr. Ducharme announced that he would ask, “as early as June 10 or after [son] oath” an “independent legal opinion” in order to determine whether he will be able to “vote on the projects submitted by Brigil” and participate in the debates.
Denouncing the fact that municipalities “have had to take on many responsibilities” federal and provincial, Mr. Ducharme affirmed that “homelessness” is a “problem that is growing.” But “everyone will have to do their part. Our governments must not hide behind their responsibilities. »
This report is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.