Claude Villeneuve, leader of the municipal opposition, has confirmed his candidacy for mayor of Quebec in next November’s election. He says he wants to focus on the economy and promises to fight for “an easy city to live in”.
This is what the head of Quebec First and municipal councilor of Maizerets-Lairet made known, Wednesday morning, at a press briefing.
“The desire to serve citizens has been with me for a long time. Today, after having served the citizens of Maizerets-Lairet for three years, I am taking one more step […] With my team, we want to be “the official proposal”,” he mentioned, surrounded by elected officials from his political party.
Mr. Villeneuve, who will soon be 43 and who is the father of two young daughters, added that “the citizens of Quebec want new leadership for our city. A mayor who unites, rather than divides. Who understands that running a city means reconciling interests, rather than imposing your own preferences.”
First tips
Declaring that he “dreams of being mayor of Quebec,” Mr. Villeneuve admitted to having hesitated before officially launching due mainly to family considerations. Encouraging discussions with the elected officials of his team and with possible candidates for advisory positions convinced him of the opportunity to go into battle, he argued.
“I do not want to become mayor to implement an ideological agenda that corresponds to my personal tastes or hobbies. I don’t want to become mayor because I’m bored in retirement and I’m looking for a project to relieve myself of boredom,” he said in what looks like respective attacks against the outgoing mayor and the former minister. liberal Sam Hamad.
Saying he wanted to respond to the daily concerns of citizens, the mayoral candidate promised that cycle paths would be better thought out under his possible reign, that the process for issuing permits would be less complex and that snow removal would be better carried out. He said he would better target his destinations for international missions, focusing on the United States and English Canada. Mr. Villeneuve assured that he will defend the tram project even if he hopes the megaproject will not constitute an electoral issue.
-Claude Villeneuve will have a running mate in his district. This would give him the opportunity, in the event of defeat at town hall, to continue to sit as a municipal councilor (if his running mate ever wins in his district).
Photo Taïeb Moalla
Other applications
The municipal election is scheduled for November 2, 2025. In addition to Mr. Villeneuve, two elected officials have already confirmed their candidacy. These are the outgoing mayor, Bruno Marchand, and the head of Transition Québec, Jackie Smith.
According to the latest Léger/Le Journal poll from last fall, a two-way fight is emerging between Bruno Marchand and Sam Hamad. That said, the former Liberal minister has still not made his intentions known.
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