The latest Léger poll showed a real wave of frustration among Montreal residents: 55% of them expressed a deep desire for change at city hall. To put it more bluntly, you desperately want someone else to take Valérie Plante’s place.
This desire for change is understandable in many ways. First of all, there is this feeling of power fatigue. Ms. Plante and her Projet Montréal party are in power for the second time in a row. Unfortunately, the long-awaited improvements are slow to arrive.
Worse still, the city appears to be deteriorating before their eyes, with problems such as the housing crisis, increasing homelessness, gun violence, widespread filth, never-ending construction sites and the decay of road infrastructure. The list of symptoms of a suffering city is long, very long.
- Listen to the political meeting with Yasmine Abdelfadel and Marc-André Leclerc QUB radio :
But despite this disappointment, Valérie Plante remains in power, with no real resistance and no threatening political opponent. She seems so sure of herself that she feels no need to please her voters, who are unfortunately held captive by her government. She even sees the provincial government as her biggest threat and her biggest opposition and is not afraid to question the media on the issue.
There is no denying that this desire for change expressed by Montrealers during the poll may be fueled by the sense of contradiction emanating from the current government. The party was elected by promising to consult the population at all times, but did not always take into account the conclusions of these consultations.
Photo agency QMI, JOEL LEMAY
In addition, the administration demands money from Quebec and taxpayers in order to then distribute unexpected bonuses to the city’s executives. And what about their support for Ms Ollivier, who is in charge of finances, despite her questionable management of public funds?
This week, the metropolis’s two powerful women are expected to announce a tax increase for Montrealers. I really look forward to hearing their arguments to make this bitter pill go away. But one thing is certain: the need for change is palpable and Montrealers are eagerly awaiting who will represent them and address the challenges facing the city.
