Valérie Plante officially begins her second term

The mayoress of Montreal, Valérie Plante, began her second term by being sworn in Thursday evening during a ceremony where a representative of the Mohawk nation gave an opening speech without any words in French.

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The evening at the Palais des congrès opened with a speech in Mohawk and English only by Ka’nahsohon Kevin Deer, representative of the Mohawk nation. The latter invited spectators to review the way they perceive the world.

This does not happen with the French Quebec Movement.

“The elected municipal officials take an oath by solemnly declaring that they will exercise their functions in accordance with the law and ethics,” recalls its president, Maxime Laporte.

“Now, having regard to the law, article 1 of the charter of the City of Montreal states that it is a French-speaking city and, having regard to ethics, it is obvious that the question of the status and the vitality of French in Montreal is a key ethical question at this very moment, ”adds Mr. Laporte.

He wonders how the mayoress can reconcile her oath with the fact that the opening speech opened with a speech without a word in French.

“The French Quebec Movement expects the Plante administration to live up to its promises in terms of strengthening the status of French in Montreal,” concludes Mr. Laporte.

It comes two weeks after Air Canada CEO Michael Rouseeau raised an uproar after delivering a unilingual speech in English to the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal.

2^e mandate

“Our first 100 days start today, and we are already at work,” said Mr.^me Plante, in the speech she gave after signing the City’s guestbook, with her husband and their two children.

“The metropolis is experiencing a unique challenge. After going through a global pandemic that no one could have predicted, she is getting back on her feet, ”added the re-elected mayor, who recalled the priorities of her administration, particularly in terms of housing and the environment.

It is to the sound of bagpipes, escorted by police and firefighters of the City in protocol uniforms, and to the cheers, that Mr.^me Plante entered the Palais des congrès, where the swearing-in ceremony for Montreal’s elected officials was taking place.

The elected officials were then invited by Mr.^e Emmanuel Tano-Moore, the City Clerk, to take their oath, committing to follow the law and respect the ethical codes to which they are subject.

After the mayor’s speech, the ceremony ended with a musical performance by the group La ligne Rose, which ended the evening.

On November 7, Valérie Plante was re-elected for a second term with 52% of the vote, far ahead of her main opponent, the former mayor Denis Coderre, who obtained a score of 38%.

Note, elected officials whose seat is subject to a judicial recount could not be sworn in. These, six in number, will have to wait until the end of the procedures before they can officially take up their duties.

Collaboration

Both M^me Plante that Aref Salem, the new leader of the official opposition, expressed the wish to collaborate for the good of all. M^me Plante had kind words for the latter.

“Now that we are elected, Montrealers expect us to deliver the goods. I will be happy to work with the opposition, since for me, the opposition is a sign of healthy democracy ”, underlined M^me Plant.

For his part, Mr. Salem had also mentioned his wish to collaborate with the administration, when he was elected conductor of Ensemble Montreal. A wish he reiterated.

“We are all elected to provide a service to Montrealers, and I will work in this direction with my team,” he said, adding, however, that he would ensure that Mr.^me Plant keeps its promises.

Public security

The two elected officials also agree on what should be the highest priority, believing that the public safety issue should receive attention.

M^me Plante recalled in this regard his promise to double the funding of organizations that work in prevention, as well as that of hiring more police officers.

In the press, she was also indignant at the inaction of the federal government in the file.

“When you lead, sometimes you have to make decisions, even when they are not consensual, when it comes to the interests of the population. We are talking about firearms here. We’re talking about weapons! We are not talking about a subject [anodin]», She exasperated.

Mr. Salem also hopes that the City will use the powers it already has to fight the problem, in order to avoid having to wait for other levels of government.

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