(Quebec) Régis Labeaume was “cordial” and “generous” Wednesday when he met the new elected mayor of Quebec, who beat his runner up by some 800 votes, while passing a message or two on the tram.
The two men briefly posed for press photographers. They then exchanged during a one-hour private meeting in the office that Mr. Labeaume is about to leave after 14 years.
“It was a meeting of an hour and a quarter, very cordial, we laughed. Mr. Labeaume has been very generous. We are preparing for the transition, ”said Bruno Marchand.
“He gave me several tips on what to do next. There are several decisions to be made, especially on the budget. How to avoid the pitfalls, to avoid a blockage of the administration. ”
The two men notably discussed the tram. The new mayor intends to carry out this 3.3 billion project. Mr. Marchand had however suggested that the project could be improved.
“Mr. Labeaume’s concern is that this project be delivered on time. He said he understood that we wanted to make changes. But he wants this project at the same time to be delivered on time. ”
But the outgoing mayor was “very respectful”, according to Bruno Marchand. “Like ‘you will be mayor, you will decide, but here is what I think could be the most effective”. He was not at all in a political perspective. He was from the perspective of someone who loves his city and wants it to continue to be good the way it is. ”
A “positive” opposition
Good understanding did not reign only in the mayor’s office on Wednesday. On the forecourt of the town hall, the new leader of the opposition delivered a plea for collaboration in a divided council.
“We heard the outstretched hand message from Mr. Marchand. Our intention is for Quebec City to do well, for the Council to function and for our city to continue to prosper, ”announced former columnist Claude Villeneuve, appointed chef on Tuesday evening.
PHOTO PATRICE LAROCHE, THE SUN
The new leader of the official opposition in Quebec, Claude Villeneuve.
“We want to be a constructive, even positive opposition,” adds the district councilor Maizerets-Lairet.
This new dynamic stems from the composition of the board. Team Marie-Josée-Savard, heir to Team Labeaume, holds 10 advisory positions among the 21 on the board.
The party led by Claude Villeneuve will also change its name. “It won’t be Équipe Villeneuve,” said the new chef.
Québec forte et fière (QFF) by Bruno Marchand has six advisers. Québec 21 has four and Transition Québec had its first councilor elected.
The “great cooperation” that is emerging in Quebec is to the taste of the two main parties. Claude Villeneuve believes that “Bruno Marchand must be accountable for what he dangled”.
But according to the leader of the opposition, the new mayor “wishes the best interests of the City of Quebec” and his program “closely resembled the record of Team Labeaume”. “These are not very different visions,” admits Claude Villeneuve.
An absurd idea?
He does not rule out the idea of sitting on the executive committee if the mayor suggests it. How could a leader of the official opposition sit on the executive committee?
The question is not simple. Richard Bergeron, then leader of the official opposition, left Projet Montréal in 2014 to sit as an independent when he accepted Denis Coderre’s invitation to sit on the executive committee.
Joined by Press, Mr. Bergeron believes that the idea that the leader of the opposition sits on the executive committee is “absurd” and “should not even be discussed”.
“There is no written rule. But you have to be in solidarity with the administration when you are on the executive committee, he notes. How do you show solidarity with the executive committee when you are the leader of the official opposition? ”
That Mr. Villeneuve does not close the door to a role on the executive committee “is good news”, rejoices Bruno Marchand.
“We will open discussions with Mr. Villeneuve and see what is going on. We need this. If we keep the political game as it is traditionally conducted, citizens will lose, ”believes Mr. Marchand.
Bruno Marchand even believes that it would be counterproductive to impose the entire program of his party. “We are obliged to take note of the results. We will have to take things from the platforms of other parties, ”notes the next mayor, who will be sworn in on Sunday.
“Let’s put our personal interests aside and put the city at the center,” he says.