Nouveau Montréal
Encyclopedia
Nouveau Montréal was a municipal political party in Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
, from 1998 to 2001. The party was led by Jacques Duchesneau
, who was also its candidate for mayor in the 1998 municipal election
.
and all other potential candidates for the position. Duchesneau's control of Nouveau Montréal was never in question, and some critics charged that it was more his personal electoral vehicle than a proper political party.
Sitting city councillors Jack Chadirdjian
, Germain Prégent, Marie Lebeau, Pierre Gagnier
, Louise Roy
, and Robert Laramée
joined Nouveau Montréal soon after its founding, giving the party representation from both the centre-right and centre-left. This allowed the party to become the Official Opposition on council on 25 May 1998, with Chadirdjian serving as leader of the party's council grouping. Independent councillor Michael Applebaum joined the party shortly thereafter, and Philippe Bissonnette also joined before the election. Another councillor, Thérèse Daviau
, decided against seeking re-election and did not join the party, but supported it from the outside.
community.
The party held it's first convention on 28 June 1998, attended by at least six hundred people. At this meeting, Duchesneau promised to focus on cleaning up the city's abandoned lots, create "district mayors" with responsibility for services like snow removal, and seek a new financial deal with the provincial government. He later promised to freeze municipal taxes for four years by cutting some municipal services.
Duchesneau initially opposed a municipal subsidy for the financially troubled Montreal Expos
baseball team, though he later reversed his position on this issue.
openly speculated that he might withdraw from the contest and either give his support to Duchesneau or form an alliance between the two campaigns. Doré ultimately chose to remain a candidate. Duchneseau himself sought to create an alliance with Montreal Citizens' Movement
mayoral candidate Michel Prescott
, but was rebuffed. Following these developments, some in the media suggested that Duchesneau, Doré, and Prescott would split the opposition vote and allow Bourque's re-election.
Despite receiving an endorsement from the Montreal Gazette, Duchesneau finished second against Bourque on election day. Only three of the party's candidates for council were elected: Michael Applebaum, Philippe Bissonnette, and Germain Prégent.
, Laval
, and parts of the South Shore
into a single city.
In January 2000, Bissonnette and Prégent resigned from the party to sit as independents. Prégent remarked that, while he had objection to Duchesneau, he did not believe the party was going anywhere. Duchesneau resigned as party leader in January 2001, saying that he was withdrawing from public life. The party became largely dormant after this time and did not field candidates in the 2001 municipal election
.
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...
, from 1998 to 2001. The party was led by Jacques Duchesneau
Jacques Duchesneau
Jacques Duchesneau, CM is a French Canadian civil servant and former Chief of Police.He holds a Master's Degree in Public Administration from the École nationale d'administration publique and a Bachelor of Science degree from the Université de Montréal...
, who was also its candidate for mayor 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....
.
Origins
Duchesneau announced the formation of Nouveau Montréal on 29 April 1998, shortly after standing down from a four-year term as the city's police director. At the time, public opinion polls in Montreal showed Duchesneau leading incumbent mayor Pierre BourquePierre 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:...
and all other potential candidates for the position. Duchesneau's control of Nouveau Montréal was never in question, and some critics charged that it was more his personal electoral vehicle than a proper political party.
Sitting city councillors Jack Chadirdjian
Jack Chadirdjian
Jack H. Chadirdjian is a Canadian politician, an attorney, and a City Councillor in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-City Councillor:He was elected to Montreal's City Council as a Vision Montreal candidate in the district of Darlington in 1994, defeating RCM incumbent Hubert Simard.-Leader of the...
, Germain Prégent, Marie Lebeau, Pierre Gagnier
Pierre Gagnier
Pierre Gagnier is a city councillor from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Since 2009, he has served as the mayor of the Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough. He was a member of the Projet Montréal municipal political party...
, Louise Roy
Louise Roy (politician)
Louise Roy is an administrator and former politician in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She was a member of the Montreal city council from 1994 to 1998 and served as president of the Montreal Citizens' Movement party....
, and Robert Laramée
Robert Laramée
Robert Laramée is a Canadian politician and was a city councillor in Montreal, Quebec.- Background :Laramée holds a Bachelor’s degree in Recreation. According to Fugues magazine, he is openly gay.- City Councillor :...
joined Nouveau Montréal soon after its founding, giving the party representation from both the centre-right and centre-left. This allowed the party to become the Official Opposition on council on 25 May 1998, with Chadirdjian serving as leader of the party's council grouping. Independent councillor Michael Applebaum joined the party shortly thereafter, and Philippe Bissonnette also joined before the election. Another councillor, Thérèse Daviau
Thérèse Daviau
Thérèse Daviau, also known as Thérèse Daviau-Bergeron, was a Canadian politician, an attorney and a City Councillor in Montreal, Quebec.-Background:Daviau was born in 1946 and received a Law degree from Université de Montréal...
, decided against seeking re-election and did not join the party, but supported it from the outside.
Platform
Duchesneau focused Nouveau Montréal's campaign on tax reform, decentralized government services, and urban renewal to prevent a flight to the suburbs. He stated his opposition to privatizing essential municipal services (though allowing for the privatization of the city's real-estate corporations), promised five hundred units of social and co-operative housing and a task force on public transformation, and said that he would not promote expensive mega-projects. On labour issues, he promised not to lay off blue-collar workers and to re-assign municipal service workers by geographical area rather than department. Duchesneau promoted socially liberal views, and his party's candidates included anti-poverty activists and representatives of the city's LGBTLGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
community.
The party held it's first convention on 28 June 1998, attended by at least six hundred people. At this meeting, Duchesneau promised to focus on cleaning up the city's abandoned lots, create "district mayors" with responsibility for services like snow removal, and seek a new financial deal with the provincial government. He later promised to freeze municipal taxes for four years by cutting some municipal services.
Duchesneau initially opposed a municipal subsidy for the financially troubled Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
baseball team, though he later reversed his position on this issue.
1998 election
Duchesneau's poll numbers began slipping in late September 1998, as incumbent mayor Pierre Bourque's popularity ratings increased. Shortly before election day, rival candidate Jean DoréJean Doré
Jean Doré is a Canadian politician and former mayor of the City of Montreal, Quebec.-Background:Jean Doré studied law at the Université de Montréal, where he was president of the student union from 1967 to 1968. He received a Master's Degree of Political Science from McGill University...
openly speculated that he might withdraw from the contest and either give his support to Duchesneau or form an alliance between the two campaigns. Doré ultimately chose to remain a candidate. Duchneseau himself sought to create an alliance with 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:...
mayoral candidate Michel Prescott
Michel Prescott
Michel Prescott is a Canadian politician and a City Councillor in Montreal, Quebec.-City Councillor:He was a member of the progressive Montreal Citizens' Movement, also known as Rassemblement des citoyens et citoyennes de Montréal in French. He was elected to Montreal's City Council in 1982...
, but was rebuffed. Following these developments, some in the media suggested that Duchesneau, Doré, and Prescott would split the opposition vote and allow Bourque's re-election.
Despite receiving an endorsement from the Montreal Gazette, Duchesneau finished second against Bourque on election day. Only three of the party's candidates for council were elected: Michael Applebaum, Philippe Bissonnette, and Germain Prégent.
Aftermath
Duchesneau remained as party leader after the election and said that Nouveau Montréal would continue despite its defeat. In March 1999, he confirmed that he intended to be the party's candidate the next election, which was then scheduled for in 2002. During the same period, Duchesneau said that he would support amalgamating all municipalities on the Island of MontrealIsland of Montreal
The Island of Montreal , in extreme southwestern Quebec, Canada, is located at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers. It is separated from Île Jésus by the Rivière des Prairies....
, Laval
Laval, Quebec
Laval is a Canadian city and a region in southwestern Quebec. It is the largest suburb of Montreal, the third largest municipality in the province of Quebec, and the 14th largest city in Canada with a population of 368,709 in 2006...
, and parts of the South Shore
South Shore (Montreal)
The South Shore is the general term for the suburbs of Montreal, Quebec located on the southern shore of the Saint Lawrence River opposite the Island of Montreal. The South Shore is located within the Quebec administrative region of Montérégie....
into a single city.
In January 2000, Bissonnette and Prégent resigned from the party to sit as independents. Prégent remarked that, while he had objection to Duchesneau, he did not believe the party was going anywhere. Duchesneau resigned as party leader in January 2001, saying that he was withdrawing from public life. The party became largely dormant after this time and did not field candidates 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....
.