Will the governance of the Ville-Marie borough be reformed? This is what a majority of citizens who took part in a consultation held last spring want. They want to be able to elect their borough mayor as well as all of their local councillors.
Last winter, the Plante administration entrusted the Institut du Nouveau Monde (INM) with the mission of holding a consultation to survey the population on the governance model established in 2009 in Ville-Marie. Remember that this borough is de facto headed by the mayor of the city, who appoints two councilors to sit on the borough council, all in order to guarantee the majority to the administration in place.
This system has been decried since its establishment by residents who denounce the democratic deficit of which they are the victims.
To guide the consultation exercise, three scenarios were developed by a committee of experts. The first scenario maintained the status quo, the second suggested that the borough mayor be appointed from among the elected councilors and the third proposed the election by universal suffrage of the mayor and of all the councilors of the borough.
More than 731 people, mostly Ville-Marie residents, took part in the consultation by answering an online questionnaire or participating in discussion workshops.
A clear message
The results of the consultation carried out by the INM are unequivocal. Three out of four respondents to the questionnaire are dissatisfied with the current electoral system. And the vast majority of respondents want the direct election of the borough mayor. “The voters of the borough of Ville-Marie would feel better represented by this person who would have more time to devote to local issues since he would no longer have to assume the responsibilities related to his dual function”, indicates the report.
Citizens are also numerous to ask that the appointed councilors be replaced by locally elected councillors.
For the participants, the appointment of a borough mayor by the mayor of the City from among the elected councilors “would not make it possible to settle the perceived democratic deficit”. If, however, this scenario were retained, several citizens suggested that this person be identified as of the municipal election as the “running mate” of the mayor of the City.
Some people, ie 58 of the 639, favor the status quo, believing that the dual function of the mayor of Montreal allows privileged access to it and facilitates the development of the borough, considered strategic.
Campaign promise
During the 2021 election campaign, Projet Montréal promised to review the governance of Ville-Marie. On Friday, the Plante administration said it took note of the report. “This is important work that we take very seriously. Our first objective was to proceed in a collaborative and open manner, and today we have accomplished that,” commented Councilor Robert Beaudry, responsible for citizen participation and democracy on the executive committee, in a statement sent to the Duty.
For now, however, the administration is not ready to make a decision. “We will take the next few months to analyze the report and will officially respond to it in the fall,” indicated Mr. Beaudry.
Restoring the electoral system from before 2009 opens the door to disputes between the mayor of Montreal and the administration of Ville-Marie. This is also due to a dispute with the former mayor of Ville-Marie, Benoit Labonté, that former mayor Gérald Tremblay had obtained special status for this borough from the Quebec government.
A desirable reform
Professor in the Department of Strategy, Social and Environmental Responsibility at UQAM, Danielle Pilette sees a good eye on governance reform in Ville-Marie. “I don’t see why there would be two citizenship statuses in Montreal; residents who would be served by a local democracy and others who would not be under the pretext that they live in Ville-Marie,” she explains.
According to her, the mayor already has her hands full with the presidency of the Metropolitan Community of Montreal and that of the agglomeration of Montreal, in addition to the mayor of Montreal. Moreover, the risk of disagreement between the two town halls should not be an obstacle to reform, she believes. “I would find it very healthy for there to be a diversity of political representation within the borough of Ville-Marie, as we can have in other boroughs,” she said.
Professor at the National School of Public Administration, Rémy Trudel is of the opinion that the request of the majority of participants in the consultation should be followed up. “I find that quite desirable. It reconciles citizens with local democracy, he says. It is clear that the arguments that had been presented to grant special status to Ville-Marie [en 2009] no longer hold. »
Recognizing that bringing the number of elected Montreal officials to 106 may be exaggerated, while Toronto has only 25, the two experts believe that, nearly 25 years after the municipal mergers, it is time to think about reducing the number of elected officials. “We could do a comparative study with other cities of a similar size,” suggests Mr. Trudel.
Danielle Pilette evokes the merger of electoral districts and an overhaul of the boroughs. It even proposes to split the borough of Ville-Marie so that the eastern part of the borough, very residential, is integrated into another borough, that of Plateau-Mont-Royal, for example.
If the Plante administration responded to citizen demands for the 2025 elections, it would have to ask Quebec for legislative changes.