“That doesn’t surprise me,” declared Mayor Valérie Plante in reaction to the enthusiasm of Projet Montréal elected officials to ensure her succession. The party leader addressed members gathered in congress this weekend to adopt their new program.
Sunday afternoon, Valérie Plante offered a passionate plea in front of more than 250 members gathered at Collège Maisonneuve.
I’ll go door to door and make phone calls [lors des prochaines élections municipales]
assured the one who will not run for a third term.
To reassure the members, Valérie Plante used the analogy of the reed, recalling the challenges faced by Projet Montréal, such as the loss of founding leader Richard Bergeron to Denis Coderre’s team and the departure of interim leader, Luc Ferrandez. , mid-term.
This is also Project Montreal. Yes, it’s windy, but we know why we’re standing and we’re not going to tilt our heads. We’re going to stay straight.
Who will succeed Valérie Plante?
No information has yet been revealed on the details of the leadership race, but for the mayor, it will be an opportunity to highlight new personalities.
There is talent within Projet Montréal
she said with a smile to the elected officials present.
The list of candidates continues to grow. Valérie Plante also recalled that the coffers are full and the activists mobilized
which explains the interest in her party, according to her, even from external figures, such as the solidarity deputy for Rosemont, Vincent Marissal. Note, however, that the latter was not present at the congress.
Candidate in reflection
- Luc Rabouin: president of the executive committee and mayor of Plateau-Mont-Royal
- Laurence Lavigne Lalonde: mayor of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension
- Maja Vodanovic: mayor of Lachine
- Gracia Kasoki Katahwa: mayor of Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
- Alia Hassan-Cournol: City councilor responsible for economic development on the executive committee
- Robert Beaudry: City councilor responsible for urban planning and homelessness on the executive committee
- Ericka Alnéus: City councilor responsible for culture on the executive committee
Disarm the police?
In 2021, the former Projet Montréal program sparked controversy by proposing to reduce funding for the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM).
Although this idea no longer appears in the new program, the youth wing reignited the debate at the congress, submitting the most discussed proposal of the event. She suggested a pilot project aimed at disarming certain police officers to restore trust between Montreal youth and the police, while asking for the compulsory wearing of intervention cameras and an end to random arrests.
These requests were all rejected, despite close votes and strong abstentions from several members.
When people experience shootings on the street corner […]it’s very difficult afterwards to say: we want to disarm the police!
The mayor of Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles believes that the time is not right not to be in tune with citizens in the face of an increasing feeling of insecurity. For his part, activist Victor St-Louis judges that the youth wing nevertheless succeeded in introducing a subject which is here to stay and perhaps for the leadership race
.
Improve the public transport offer
Members adopted several proposals aimed at increasing car-sharing and BIXI services and bringing back the pink line project, so dear to Valérie Plante, which had been excluded from the new program.
Enthusiasm for improving the public transport offer was shared by the majority of members, although some elected officials recalled the urgency of ensuring funding for existing infrastructure.
Don’t stop dreaming, don’t stop planning. The priority is to secure the financing!
The mayor of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Pierre Lessard-Blais, insisted that the Montreal Metropolitan Community had saved the 2025 budget from the STM by increasing registration fees. I don’t think that for the 2026 budget, we can expect such action
he added, emphasizing that all town halls will be in elections this year.
Unfinished program
Due to lack of time, members were not able to debate all of the amendments proposed by local associations, particularly those concerning homelessness. The assembly therefore elected a committee responsible for finalizing this work.
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Members of Projet Montréal met on Sunday to adopt the party’s program.
Photo: - / Marie-Josée Paquette-Comeau
Several members nevertheless said they were satisfied with the level of democracy within the party. Debates are held in an open and constructive manner
declared activist Claude Leboeuf, whose comments echoed those of many other members interviewed by -.
No one, however, wished to express a preference for the future leader of the party.
