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Battle for Montreal city hall takes nasty turn ahead of Sunday’s vote – Montreal


Because the race to see who might be Montreal’s subsequent mayor strikes into its ultimate days, the marketing campaign has taken an more and more private tone, with the 2 important candidates accusing one another of missing integrity.

Polls present incumbent Valérie Plante locked in a decent battle with Denis Coderre, the previous federal cupboard minister who served one time period as mayor earlier than she defeated him in 2017.

Whereas earlier the controversy centered on local weather change, crime and the rising price of housing, the ultimate days of the marketing campaign have seen Coderre accuse Plante of not caring about sexual assault victims and Plante assault Coderre for hiding his enterprise dealings.

After being lectured on transparency by Plante this week due to his preliminary refusal to reveal whom he labored for after leaving workplace, Coderre went on the offensive Thursday.

Learn extra:
Down to the wire in the Montreal mayoral race

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Why did she lie? What does she have to cover?” Coderre requested at a information convention after CBC reported that Plante had been knowledgeable of sexual assault allegations courting again to 2012 in opposition to one among her occasion’s metropolis councillors. This appeared to battle with Plante’s remark final yr that she had no information of sexual assault or sexual harassment allegations in opposition to any members of her occasion.

Coderre’s occasion, Ensemble Montréal, went even additional on Twitter, accusing Plante of getting “no empathy for victims of sexual assault.”

Plante says her occasion, Projet Montréal, did its “due diligence” when it got here to the councillor, Craig Sauvé, who has denied the allegations and was not charged. He introduced Thursday he was leaving Projet Montréal to take a seat as an Impartial “to keep away from changing into a distraction.” Plante mentioned her 2020 declaration that there have been no allegations in opposition to members of her occasion was correct as a result of Sauve and the complainant had gone by means of a mediation course of and a police investigation had closed.

“We did comply with the proper course of, and we have been proactive,” she mentioned in an interview Thursday. “When the cops resolve that it’s a closed case, I feel that the presumption of innocence must prevail.”

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For many of the ultimate week of the marketing campaign, it had been Coderre going through questions on transparency.

Coderre has refused to launch his tax returns — not like within the 2013 and 2017 elections — and initially mentioned he wouldn’t disclose the names of firms he consulted for, citing confidentiality agreements. However on Wednesday, Coderre launched the names of all purchasers, besides one, which he later acknowledged was TC Transcontinental, a printing firm that has lobbied town about its door-to-door flyer enterprise.

“I feel it reveals that Mr. Coderre, his definition of transparency is sort of elastic and he chooses what fits him by way of transparency,” Plante mentioned.

Additionally on the listing was Cogir, a big actual property firm, and the Fédération Internationale de l’Car, a pro-car foyer group and a governing physique for motorsport occasions — together with Components E, whose former Montreal version Coderre promoted as mayor.

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Coderre mentioned if elected, he would recuse himself if there’s a risk of a battle of curiosity relating to sure information. “I’ve been doing that for 40 years, complying with the legislation and the ethics measures as a result of I’m a person of integrity,” he mentioned.

Christian Bourque, govt vice-president at polling agency Leger, mentioned he doesn’t suppose Coderre’s consumer listing will deter his supporters, however the former mayor’s preliminary reluctance to disclose it might form the opinions of undecided voters. “I’ve by no means heard any person say lack of transparency is an efficient factor,” he mentioned in a current interview.

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At a information convention Thursday morning, Coderre didn’t wish to discuss something aside from the allegation in opposition to Sauvé. When requested about his plan to enhance the lives of younger Black Montrealers, Coderre informed a reporter to have a look at his occasion’s web site.

Learn extra:
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Plante, however, says she would relatively be speaking about her plans for social housing and environmental change, which she mentioned have been sidetracked by the pandemic.

“We have now put collectively very daring and proactive actions to combat local weather change, to seek out long-term options for housing in Montreal,” she mentioned. “We wish to proceed to construct on what we’ve finished.”

Learn extra:
Plante, Coderre, Holness tackle public safety, housing in English mayoral debate for Montreal

Danielle Pilette, an city research professor at Universite du Quebec a Montreal who focuses on municipal governance, mentioned the election is in the end about two totally different visions for town.

“The difficulty on this election is absolutely financial improvement — notably actual property — versus public transit, the setting and the social improvement plan,” she mentioned in a current interview.

Learn extra:
Montreal’s race for mayor, active transportation, and what the city could be

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Bourque mentioned a ballot carried out in late October suggests the price of housing is the No. 1 subject within the marketing campaign amongst voters, beating out environmental questions and financial revival. However he mentioned the provincial and federal governments have extra affect over the price of housing than town.

“I feel it’s it’s been tough for each candidates to obviously set up a imaginative and prescient for the longer term that’s inside the scope of what they will really do,” he mentioned.




© 2021 The Canadian Press





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