Claude Villeneuve leaves the implementation committee of the tram project. Finding this function incompatible with his role as leader of the opposition, despite his support for the project, he preferred to retire in order to regain his speaking rights.
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The leader of Quebec, after his election almost a year ago, was given a seat on the committee for the realization of the streetcar for the first time. At the time, this appointment was seen as a gesture of openness and cooperation. Mr. Villeneuve refuses to see it as a ploy by Mayor Bruno Marchand to muzzle him.
In retrospect, however, he says he found that the mystery of the gods prevented him from properly playing his role in the official opposition.
“It prevents me from doing any critical work related to the tram (…) We have found it difficult to do our job, hold the mayor to account and ask him questions when I am a member of the Committee, I have access to confidential information,” he said during a press crowd ahead of Monday’s council meeting at City Hall.
“We saw it a few days ago, the mayor confirmed that there will obviously be cost overruns in the tram file, if only because of inflation. Well, I am aware of that on the Tram Executive Committee and I cannot question him, I cannot raise a critical point, I cannot question the Mayor’s leadership and I cannot question him, any more about the obligations he has in the last campaign and follow him up on that,” he said.
No cancellation of the tram
Claude Villeneuve has confirmed that he will submit his letter of resignation during tonight’s Council meeting. His departure allows him to maintain a “healthy distance” and be a “critical ally” of the mayor for the tram project, in which he says he believes more than ever.
“This should not be interpreted as a break with the streetcar project or as a withdrawal of our support for this project, which is fundamental to Quebec’s future and which we continue to support. If I have the choice of still being a councilor in the next elections or that there will be a streetcar in Quebec in 2028, I will choose the streetcar,” he said.
The mayor has skinned on his balance sheet
However, Claude Villeneuve and his colleague Alicia Despins did not fail to skin Mayor Marchand on Monday in the tally of his performances at City Hall for almost a year.
The two believe that Bruno Marchand, who was elected by a slim majority of 739 votes, would not have come to City Hall if he had not promised “the moon” and raised inflated expectations to be both pro-Tramway and anti-Tramway enchanted by the ambiguity of his statements during the election campaign and his promises of improvement, not all of which he was able to keep.
The opposition also accuses him of breaching his commitment to cut business taxes, that he is still a long way from the goal of zero roaming, that he has not satisfied citizens with the snow clearance and that he has taken too long to create a committee on labor shortages, while Quebec initially multiplied interventions on the issue.
Sting dealer
“Well, if I understand the opposition leader correctly, everything that’s going well is because of him, everything that’s going badly is because of our broken promises…” the mayor replied at the beginning of the evening, visibly stung.
Mr Marchand vigorously defended his record, saying the city was “moving” faster than ever on the homelessness record. He added that since his arrival, the city has increased the ratio of trees planted to replace the trees cut down for the streetcar project from 2:1 to 20:1.
Finally, he accused his opponent of pursuing “traditional” politics with his bouquet of allegations. “I think that’s not how we can improve the city and go further. He made his choice, he found his niche. We will work with this approach. I think the city will lose there,” he said sadly.