Ivon Le Duc
Encyclopedia
Ivon Le Duc is a politician and entrepreneur in Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
. He served on the Montreal city council
from 1994 to 2005 and was a member of the Montreal executive committee
(i.e., the municipal cabinet) in Pierre Bourque
's administration from 1998 to 2001. Elected three times as a member of Bourque's Vision Montreal
(VM) party, he later served with the Montreal Island Citizens Union (MICU) and as an independent.
Le Duc was first elected to council in the 1994 municipal election
, defeating incumbent Scott McKay of the Montreal Citizens' Movement
(MCM) in the east-end division of Honoré-Beaugrand. Vision Montreal won a majority of seats in this election under Bourque's leadership, and Le Duc initially served as a pro-administration backbencher. He was appointed to a committee of the Montreal Urban Community
that explored possible police service mergers.
During the Vision Montreal internal crisis
of 1997, Le Duc was a vocal supporter of Bourque's leadership. On February 5, 1997, he was promoted to an associate membership on the executive committee.
Le Duc was re-elected in the 1998 municipal election
, in which Bourque's administration won a second mandate. On November 12, 1998, he was named as a full member of the executive committee with responsibility for housing. The following year, he led the executive committee in amending the city's urban planning by-laws to require a 7.5 metre gap between garages in new developments. This was a response to complaints from several Montreal communities where crowded garage construction had restricted parking and snow removal service.
Vision Montreal was defeated by Gérald Tremblay
's Montreal Island Citizens Union in the 2001 municipal election
. Le Duc was easily re-elected in the redistributed division of Tétreaultville; after the election, he was selected as chair of the new Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough council
and served as opposition housing critic on city council. In 2002, he spoke against Mayor Tremblay's plan to construct a major boulevard on Notre Dame Street East. He launched a probe later in the same year into alleged price fixing for Montreal's recycling contracts, charging that two firms controlled most recycling services across the city.
In January 2003, fellow Vision Montreal councillor Richer Dompierre
alleged that Le Duc attacked him during a heated borough council debate over the removal of a Jean-Paul Riopelle
sculpture. The chief crown prosecutor later confirmed there was enough evidence to charge Le Duc with simple assault, but ultimately Le Duc was able to attend a program that allowed for the non-judicial treatment of certain infractions.
MICU and independent
Le Duc resigned from Vision Montreal in February 2003, saying that he felt "betrayed" by Pierre Bourque's decision to run for the Action démocratique du Québec
(ADQ) party in the 2003 Quebec provincial election
. He retained his position as borough council chair and initially sat as an independent. On December 12, 2003, he joined Tremblay's MICU party. The following year, his title was changed to borough mayor of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.
In mid-2005, Le Duc was unexpectedly rejected as MICU's candidate for borough mayor in the 2005 municipal election
in favour of former provincial cabinet minister Pierre Bélanger
. Le Duc responded by resigning from MICU and again serving as an independent. In September 2005, he openly snubbed Tremblay at a major public event in his community.
Before leaving office, Le Duc charged that there was systematic corruption in Montreal's political culture. He identified long-standing practices of political parties soliciting money from companies that were angling for municipal contracts, and said that seventy-five to eighty per cent of contributions to major parties came from entrepreneurs with municipal contracts or from their employees and families. He was also quoted as saying, "Every time someone pays a contribution of $500 or more ... someone receives something in exchange. [...] It's too well-entrenched." As a remedy, he proposed banning anonymous donations to political parties. Le Duc did not seek re-election in 2005.
firm Demtec Inc. in August 2005. The following year, he was profiled in the Montreal Gazette for selling prefabricated houses to Afghanistan
in co-operation with a construction firm based in Kabul
. After visiting Afghanistan, Le Duc said that the Canadian private sector had almost no presence in the country and accused the Canadian government
of failing to promote investment.
He was again profiled by the Gazette in February 2007 for shipping prefabricated houses from Quebec to Alberta
.
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He served on the Montreal city council
Montreal City Council
The Montreal City Council is the governing body of Montreal, Quebec. The head of the city government in Montreal is the mayor, who is first among equals in the City Council. The mayor is Gérald Tremblay, who is a member of the Union des citoyens et des citoyennes de l'Île de Montréal...
from 1994 to 2005 and was a member of the Montreal executive committee
Montreal Executive Committee
The Montreal Executive Committee is the executive branch of the municipal government of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The committee reports directly to city hall and is responsible for generating documents such as budgets and by-laws, which are then sent to the Montreal city council for approval...
(i.e., the municipal cabinet) in Pierre Bourque
Pierre Bourque
Pierre Bourque, CQ is a businessman and politician in Quebec, Canada. He founded the Vision Montreal political party and served as mayor of Montreal from 1994 to 2001.-Background:...
's administration from 1998 to 2001. Elected three times as a member of Bourque's Vision Montreal
Vision Montreal
Vision Montreal is a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It has been in existence since 1994 and presently forms the Official opposition on Montreal City Council under leader Louise Harel.-Origins:...
(VM) party, he later served with the Montreal Island Citizens Union (MICU) and as an independent.
Political career
Vision MontrealLe Duc was first elected to council in the 1994 municipal election
Montreal municipal election, 1994
The 1994 Montreal municipal election took place on November 6, 1994. Pierre Bourque was elected to his first term as mayor, defeating incumbent Jean Doré...
, defeating incumbent Scott McKay of the Montreal Citizens' Movement
Montreal Citizens' Movement
The Montreal Citizens' Movement was a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It existed from 1973 to 2001.-Origins:...
(MCM) in the east-end division of Honoré-Beaugrand. Vision Montreal won a majority of seats in this election under Bourque's leadership, and Le Duc initially served as a pro-administration backbencher. He was appointed to a committee of the Montreal Urban Community
Montreal Urban Community
The Montreal Urban Community was a regional government that covered all municipalities that later merged into the megacity of Montreal.- History :...
that explored possible police service mergers.
During the Vision Montreal internal crisis
Vision Montreal Crisis, 1997
The Vision Montreal Crisis of 1997 was one of the most severe internal party crises in Montreal politics.-Origins:In January 1997, Mayor Pierre Bourque tried to dismiss two members of Montreal's Executive Committee: Deputy Chairman Sammy Forcillo and Pierre Goyer. Yet, the City Charter of 1921...
of 1997, Le Duc was a vocal supporter of Bourque's leadership. On February 5, 1997, he was promoted to an associate membership on the executive committee.
Le Duc was re-elected in the 1998 municipal election
Montreal municipal election, 1998
The city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada held municipal elections on November 1, 1998, to elect a mayor and city councillors. Pierre Bourque was returned to a second term as mayor against a divided opposition....
, in which Bourque's administration won a second mandate. On November 12, 1998, he was named as a full member of the executive committee with responsibility for housing. The following year, he led the executive committee in amending the city's urban planning by-laws to require a 7.5 metre gap between garages in new developments. This was a response to complaints from several Montreal communities where crowded garage construction had restricted parking and snow removal service.
Vision Montreal was defeated by Gérald Tremblay
Gérald Tremblay
Gérald Tremblay is a Canadian politician and businessman currently serving his third term as mayor of Montreal and as president of the Montreal Metropolitan Community...
's Montreal Island Citizens Union in the 2001 municipal election
Montreal municipal election, 2001
The 2001 Montreal municipal election took place on November 4, 2001, to elect a mayor and city councillors in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Gérald Tremblay defeated incumbent Pierre Bourque to become mayor of the newly amalgamated city....
. Le Duc was easily re-elected in the redistributed division of Tétreaultville; after the election, he was selected as chair of the new Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough council
Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough council
The Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough council is the local governing body of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, a borough in the City of Montreal...
and served as opposition housing critic on city council. In 2002, he spoke against Mayor Tremblay's plan to construct a major boulevard on Notre Dame Street East. He launched a probe later in the same year into alleged price fixing for Montreal's recycling contracts, charging that two firms controlled most recycling services across the city.
In January 2003, fellow Vision Montreal councillor Richer Dompierre
Richer Dompierre
Richer Dompierre is a politician in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He served on the Montreal city council from 1998 to 2009, initially as a member of Vision Montreal and later for the rival Union Montreal ....
alleged that Le Duc attacked him during a heated borough council debate over the removal of a Jean-Paul Riopelle
Jean-Paul Riopelle
Jean-Paul Riopelle, was a painter and sculptor from Quebec, Canada.-Biography:Born in Montreal, he studied under Paul-Émile Borduas in the 1940s and was a member of Les Automatistes movement. He was one of the signers of the Refus global manifesto...
sculpture. The chief crown prosecutor later confirmed there was enough evidence to charge Le Duc with simple assault, but ultimately Le Duc was able to attend a program that allowed for the non-judicial treatment of certain infractions.
MICU and independent
Le Duc resigned from Vision Montreal in February 2003, saying that he felt "betrayed" by Pierre Bourque's decision to run for the Action démocratique du Québec
Action démocratique du Québec
The Action démocratique du Québec, commonly referred to as the ADQ is a centre-right political party in Quebec, Canada. On the sovereignty question, it defines itself as autonomist, and has support from both soft nationalists and federalists....
(ADQ) party in the 2003 Quebec provincial election
Quebec general election, 2003
The Quebec general election of 2003 was held on April 14, 2003, to elect members of the National Assembly of Quebec . The Parti libéral du Québec , led by Jean Charest, defeated the incumbent Parti Québécois, led by Bernard Landry.-Unfolding:...
. He retained his position as borough council chair and initially sat as an independent. On December 12, 2003, he joined Tremblay's MICU party. The following year, his title was changed to borough mayor of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.
In mid-2005, Le Duc was unexpectedly rejected as MICU's candidate for borough mayor in the 2005 municipal election
Montreal municipal election, 2005
The 2005 Montreal municipal election was held on November 6, 2005, to elect a city mayor, borough mayors, city councillors, and borough councillors in Montreal, Quebec, Canada...
in favour of former provincial cabinet minister Pierre Bélanger
Pierre Bélanger
Pierre Bélanger is a lawyer and politician in the Canadian province of Quebec. He was a Parti Québécois member of the National Assembly of Quebec from 1992 to 1998 and was a cabinet minister in the government of Lucien Bouchard....
. Le Duc responded by resigning from MICU and again serving as an independent. In September 2005, he openly snubbed Tremblay at a major public event in his community.
Before leaving office, Le Duc charged that there was systematic corruption in Montreal's political culture. He identified long-standing practices of political parties soliciting money from companies that were angling for municipal contracts, and said that seventy-five to eighty per cent of contributions to major parties came from entrepreneurs with municipal contracts or from their employees and families. He was also quoted as saying, "Every time someone pays a contribution of $500 or more ... someone receives something in exchange. [...] It's too well-entrenched." As a remedy, he proposed banning anonymous donations to political parties. Le Duc did not seek re-election in 2005.
Entrepreneur
Le Duc purchased the real estateReal estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
firm Demtec Inc. in August 2005. The following year, he was profiled in the Montreal Gazette for selling prefabricated houses to Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
in co-operation with a construction firm based in Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
. After visiting Afghanistan, Le Duc said that the Canadian private sector had almost no presence in the country and accused the Canadian government
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
of failing to promote investment.
He was again profiled by the Gazette in February 2007 for shipping prefabricated houses from Quebec to Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
.