Vision Montreal Crisis, 1997
Encyclopedia
The Vision Montreal Crisis of 1997 was one of the most severe internal party crises in Montreal
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...

 politics.

Origins

In January 1997, Mayor
Mayor of Montreal
The Mayor of Montreal is head of the executive branch of Montreal City Council.The Mayor's office administers all city services, public property, police and fire protection, most public agencies, and enforces all city and provincial laws within Montreal....

 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:...

 tried to dismiss two members of Montreal's Executive Committee: Deputy Chairman Sammy Forcillo
Sammy Forcillo
Savino "Sammy" Forcillo is a Canadian politician and a City Councillor in Montreal, Quebec.-Background:He has Italian ancestry and has a degree from the École nationale d'administration publique .-Civic Party:...

 and Pierre Goyer
Pierre Goyer
Pierre Goyer is a Canadian politician and a City Councillor in Montreal, Quebec. -City Councillor:He was elected to Montreal's City Council as a Montreal Citizens' Movement candidate in the district of Jean-Talon in 1986, defeating Civic incumbent George Savoidakis...

. Yet, the City Charter of 1921 clearly states that appointments to the Executive Committee are irrevocable. Forcillo and Goyer left 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:...

 (Bourque's party) to sit as Independents
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...

, but exercised their right to stay on the committee. Therefore, management by consensus became nearly impossible to reach for the remainder of Bourque's term.

That incident as well as allegations of authoritarian tendencies led thirteen other Vision Montreal Councillors to leave the party
Crossing the floor
In politics, crossing the floor has two meanings referring to a change of allegiance in a Westminster system parliament.The term originates from the British House of Commons, which is configured with the Government and Opposition facing each other on rows of benches...

 and sit as Independents with their colleagues of the opposition.

Consequences

By August 1997, only a minority of the councilmembers (24 out of 51) were members of Vision Montreal and the credibility of the Bourque administration was undermined. Most of the defectors were supporters of 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...

's Nouveau Montréal party, but others backed Jean Doré
Jean 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...

's Équipe Montréal, the RCM
Montreal Citizens' Movement
The Montreal Citizens' Movement was a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It existed from 1973 to 2001.-Origins:...

or even came back to Vision Montreal briefly before the next election. The severity of the crisis was such that for a while it appeared to seriously affect Bourque's chances of re-election.

Nonetheless, Bourque was elected in 1998, as was a substantial majority of his candidates.

Defectors

The defectors were:
  Councilmember District Status following the 1998 Election

Serge-Éric BélangerSault-au-RécolletRe-elected as a Vision Montreal candidate
Philippe BissonnetteSaint-PaulElected as a Nouveau Montréal candidate
Daniel Boucher
Daniel Boucher (politician)
Daniel Boucher is a politician in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He served on the Montreal city council from 1994 to 1998, originally as a member of Vision Montreal and later as an independent. Boucher has also sought election to the Canadian House of Commons and the National Assembly of Quebec.-Early...

Jean-RivardDefeated as an Independent candidate
Vittorio Capparelli
Vittorio Capparelli
Vittorio Capparelli is a politician in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He served on the Montreal city council from 1986 to 1998 and was a member of the Montreal executive committee from 1994 to 1996.-Early life and career:...

François-PerraultDefeated as an RCM
Montreal Citizens' Movement
The Montreal Citizens' Movement was a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It existed from 1973 to 2001.-Origins:...

candidate
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...

DarlingtonDefeated as a Nouveau Montréal candidate
Jacques CharbonneauLouis-RielRe-elected as a Vision Montreal candidate
Hubert DeraspeLouis-HébertDid not run for re-election
Sammy Forcillo
Sammy Forcillo
Savino "Sammy" Forcillo is a Canadian politician and a City Councillor in Montreal, Quebec.-Background:He has Italian ancestry and has a degree from the École nationale d'administration publique .-Civic Party:...

Saint-JacquesElected as an Équipe Montréal candidate
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...

CartiervilleDefeated as a Nouveau Montréal candidate
Robert GagnonÉmardDefeated as an Independent candidate
Pierre Goyer
Pierre Goyer
Pierre Goyer is a Canadian politician and a City Councillor in Montreal, Quebec. -City Councillor:He was elected to Montreal's City Council as a Montreal Citizens' Movement candidate in the district of Jean-Talon in 1986, defeating Civic incumbent George Savoidakis...

Saint-ÉdouardDefeated as an Équipe Montréal candidate
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 :...

Père-MarquetteDefeated as a Nouveau Montréal candidate
Marie LebeauPointe-aux-TremblesDefeated as a Nouveau Montréal candidate
Martin Lemay
Martin Lemay
Martin Lemay is a politician in Quebec, Canada. He is the Parti Québécois Member of the National Assembly for Sainte-Marie—Saint-Jacques in the National Assembly of Quebec.-Background:...

Sainte-MarieDefeated as an Équipe Montréal candidate
Nathalie Malépart
Nathalie Malépart
Nathalie Malépart is a Canadian politician. She was a City Councillor in Montreal, Quebec.-Background:She was born in Montreal about 1973 and was the daughter of politician Jean-Claude Malépart, who was Liberal Member of the House of Commons from 1979 to 1989.-City Councillor:She was elected to...

MaisonneuveDid not run for re-election
Germain PrégentSaint-PierreElected as a Nouveau Montréal candidate


Members of the Executive Committee are indicated with bold fonts.
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