Like many others, I was dismayed by the belligerent tone of former mayor Yves Ducharme’s campaign, particularly towards the head of Action Gatineau, Maude Marquis-Bissonnette.
He did not hesitate to enter into the private life of his opponent to suggest, without being able to demonstrate it, that she had placed herself in a conflict of interest by voting on resolutions involving a management company. her husband.
Accusations quickly refuted by Maude Marquis-Bissonnette.
I understand that Mr. Ducharme was exasperated and at the end of his patience. His opponents hounded him throughout the campaign over his past business ties with Brigil, the region’s largest real estate developer. With good reason, moreover, even if Mr. Ducharme has nothing to reproach himself for, either, in matters of ethics or conflict of interest.
I agree that an electoral campaign is a battle to end in order to stand out from your opponents. In this regard, Mr. Ducharme had a lot to do to distinguish himself from the five other independent candidates like him and avoid a division of the vote in favor of Action Gatineau.
But that’s no reason to make base accusations. Even the current mayor, Daniel Champagne, denounced the acerbic tone and personal attacks heard during this election. Just like Jocelyn Blondin, one of the advisors who supports Yves Ducharme.
Former mayor France Bélisle resigned, citing the toxic climate that reigned around the municipal council table. No one wants to go through that again. Like in boxing, there is a way to play hard without falling into punches below the belt.
Another particular aspect of this by-election is that the new mayor will have a mandate of only 17 months before the next municipal elections. It is very short, too short to introduce reforms or give a significant boost to municipal administration.
It is therefore not surprising that most of the candidates agree on the main priorities for the coming months: combating the housing crisis and the growing phenomenon of homelessness in Gatineau.
In the circumstances, it is also not surprising that the candidates for mayor have placed more emphasis than usual on their leadership abilities and their competence in municipal management. With such a short mandate, a mayor capable of fully carrying out his duties from day 1 is an asset.
Even the head of Action Gatineau, Maude Marquis-Bissonnette, invited voters to vote for the best person – regardless of allegiance to a political party. This is particularly surprising in the case of Action Gatineau, which has always made it a point of honor to conduct elections based on ideas rather than on the personality of the candidates. But hey, this by-election is not like the others!
Nor is it surprising that questions of ethics and integrity took up so much space in a campaign based on the personality and skills of the candidates. Mr. Ducharme’s links with Brigil, the entrepreneur spouse of Maude Marquis-Bissonnette or Stéphane Bisson’s past problems with his professional order and the tax authorities took up a lot of space. Which made Olive Kamanyana, another independent candidate, say that she was free from all ties, unlike her opponents.
We thought for a while that this by-election could become a referendum on the tramway. From the outset, candidate Daniel Feeny, former press secretary for Mayor France Bélisle, set the table by promising to scrap the tram project, once and for all. An idea then taken up by Stéphane Bisson. For her part, Maude Marquis-Bissonnette proclaimed herself the “tram warrior”. The debate on the tram, however, came to an end. Among other things, because the cost of the project, the central question among all, is poorly defined. For this debate to resume in a constructive manner, it will be necessary to better understand the tram bill and determine who pays what between the federal, provincial and municipal governments.
Finally, we deplored the lack of importance given to the environment. A criticism that could be directed against any municipal, provincial or federal election in recent years. Despite its importance, the climate issue still seems less pressing than the other crises that are blowing up in our faces: pandemic, health, homelessness, inflation…
I won’t tell you who to vote for. You choose.
But I think the top five mayoral candidates deserve you to go vote on Sunday. They ran a serious campaign, with serious commitments. They held around fifty press conferences. Despite increasingly reduced resources, The right and other media covered the campaign extensively so that you can vote with full knowledge of the facts.
So, please, go vote.
If only to give you a clear conscience when the time comes to complain about potholes, taxes or snow removal…
