A few hours before the last leaders’ debate, the mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, invites the regions to form a united front to bring their demands to the next government.
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“If Montreal is the economic heart of Quebec, local and rural municipalities are its lungs. It is very important that we form a common front on the issues that we are all going through,” said Ms. Plante on Thursday.
She spoke at the convention of the Quebec Federation of Municipalities.
In her message, she recalled that although Montreal plays an economic “hub” role, the metropolis depends, among other things, on the agri-food and industrial sectors and natural resources from the regions.
“Montreal does not look down on the regions. I’m a girl from Rouyn, and I’m proud of it. My cousins work in the Val-d’Or mines. The other end of my family is in Bonaventure. Every year, with my family, I spend part of my vacation in Saguenay,” revealed Ms. Plante.
At the beginning of the month, the outgoing Prime Minister, François Legault, maintained that Montreal looked down on Quebec and Lévis “from above” and invited the metropolis to meddle in its affairs.
“I will not accept, and I will not let anyone try to divide us and put us in opposition. The challenges we are encountering are generalized, and we must carry the voice of the municipalities within the next government of Quebec,” argued Ms. Plante, in what seems to be an allusion to these remarks.
She recalled that several issues affect both the metropolis and the regions, including municipal taxation, the housing crisis, and climate change, the consequences of which are experienced differently in several regions of Quebec.
“The City of Montreal is important for it to play a leadership role on several issues. Because we have a capacity and finances which are more important and which allow us to do it, ”reiterated Ms. Plante.
Last week, during a press briefing by the Union of Municipalities (UMQ), along with the mayors of the nine other largest cities in Quebec, Ms. Plante asked that the next government grant a fund of 10 billion $ over five years to municipalities to allow them to adapt their infrastructures to climate change.