The mayor of Quebec made the official announcement Thursday, surrounded by his two new colleagues and other members of his executive committee.
“It’s a big day. “The arrival of two new members in the party is an important event,” he rejoiced after leaving a pre-election meeting at the Maizerets estate.
The city councilors of Sainte-Thérèse-de-Lisieux and Val-Bélair became independent almost a year ago after a series of splits within their former Québec 21 party, which has since been renamed Équipe Priorité Québec.
They now join the mayor’s party, Quebec Strong and Proud. This rapprochement, which has become an open secret, has been observed in the hallways of the town hall for several weeks. Many felt it was only a matter of time before talks were formalized and the two elected officials publicly sealed the alliance.
Calling his party a “real coalition,” Mayor Marchand will now have a majority on Quebec City Council in time for the midpoint of his term in November.
From seven councilors including the mayor, Quebec Strong and Proud has grown to 12 with the addition of the services of elected officials from the two largest opposition parties.
Even if the tone of the opposition has undeniably hardened, the mayor’s team promises that it does not want to turn its back on the “different politics” that it has been promoting since his election.
No turning away from the tram
Former mayoral candidate Jean-François Gosselin and his colleague Bianca Dussault, at the head of a party that fundamentally rejects the tram megaproject, have to give up their leitmotif and jump on the bandwagon. The mayor has long been counting on the implicit support of the local council for his decisions. The latter will have to continue to vote with the party line on the tram.
“The debates will still take place,” vows Mayor Marchand. In this project we need different opinions, we need people who think differently than everyone else, people who question things. There is nothing that cannot be said, but we will vote together.”
The mayor of Quebec assures that these new additions to his team do not represent a departure from trams. The official opposition has been alarmed for a week about the mayor’s real desire to build the structuring network.
In addition to the two elected officials opposing the streetcar, the mayor insisted that “the streetcar will be built.” The Sun cartoonist put it very well this morning. If I have to dig it with a pickaxe and shovel, I’ll do it. »
But it was impossible Thursday to know the motivations of the key participants. Mr. Gosselin and Ms. Dussault were asked to come to the microphone to explain their change in political orientation and were pushed into the shadows by the mayor, allowing himself to speak on their behalf. “Today only I will speak,” he said, adding that they could, however, make themselves available for interviews on Friday.
Concerned oppositions
Although the opposition was not at all surprised, it seemed concerned about this addition to the mayor’s team.
In particular, the interim leader of the official opposition, Alicia Despins, once again questioned the fate of the largest project in Quebec City’s history. “There hasn’t been much good news for the tram since returning from vacation and today’s news is another element that adds to the confusion,” she responded in a written statement under the Sun.
For its part, the second opposition accused their former colleagues from Quebec 21 of having “sold out to the tram” to maintain higher salaries. Enough to fuel “cynicism” towards local politics, mayor Patrick Paquet and local councilor Stevens Mélançon denounced in unison.
Musical chair
The arrival of the two new councilors forces the mayor to review the strengths in his team. This begins a game of musical chairs in his executive committee.
Among the elected officials affected by this reorganization of responsibilities, the councilor of Saint-Louis-Sillery, Maude Mercier Larouche, is in charge of the file of major projects and the development of industrial areas. So far she has been the bearer of communication messages with citizens about the tram project. His colleague Claude Lavoie will take over the management as an associate member.
Jean-François Gosselin was promoted to full-time sports staff “with the aim of making Quebec the most active city.” »
She won’t be on the board, but Bianca Dussault will “help” with housing policy.
The mayor also wants to accelerate the development of shopping streets and the transition to a new economy.
These are not the first moves by members within the Executive Committee. The arrival of defectors from the official opposition after local elections in November 2021 had already led to a redistribution of cards.
Including the mayor, Quebec City’s executive committee consists of 11 members.