The question of ethics arises in the municipal electoral campaign less than a week before the vote. The outgoing mayor, Valérie Plante, made public her tax returns for the past four years, which her competitor Denis Coderre refused to do.
“There are confidentiality agreements on the commercial level and as a citizen, I do not have to reveal [le nom de mes employeurs]. When I become mayor, I will submit to the code anyway and you will know for whom I worked, ”Denis Coderre defended Sunday in front of journalists.
The code of ethics of the City of Montreal stipulates that “the members of the council must, within 60 days following the proclamation of their election, and annually thereafter, file before the council a written declaration mentioning the existence of the interests pecuniary held in buildings, legal persons, companies and businesses likely to have contracts with the City. “
“What does the mayoral candidate have to hide?” »Reproached Valérie Plante in a press release issued on Sunday. “The release of my tax returns, as we do in every election, reflects the integrity and freedom from conflict of interest of our team, and I urge other leaders to do the same. “
It raises the doubt as to “certain professional activities” of Denis Coderre which would be related to large-scale projects in the metropolis, “such as the electric formula or a future baseball stadium”.
Both Denis Coderre and Valérie Plante had unveiled their financial statements during the last ballot.
The head of Projet Montreal has declared approximately $ 180,000 in employment income in recent years, which is equivalent to the salary of the mayor of the metropolis. She also stated that she receives approximately $ 30,000 in rental income per year.