Vision Montreal Crisis, 1997

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

Origins

In January 1997, Mayor Pierre Bourque tried to dismiss two members of Montreal's Executive Committee: Deputy Chairman Sammy Forcillo and Pierre Goyer. Yet, the city charter of 1921 clearly states that appointments to the Executive Committee are irrevocable. Forcillo and Goyer left Vision Montreal (Bourque's party) to sit as independents, 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.[1]

That incident as well as allegations of authoritarian tendencies led thirteen other Vision Montreal councillors to leave the party and sit as independents with their colleagues of the opposition.

Consequences

By August 1997, only a minority of the council members (24 out of 51) were members of Vision Montreal and the credibility of the Bourque administration was undermined.[2] Most of the defectors were supporters of Jacques Duchesneau's Nouveau Montréal party, but others backed Jean Doré's Équipe Montréal, the RCM 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 re-elected in 1998, as were 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 BoucherJean-RivardDefeated as an Independent candidate
  Vittorio CapparelliFrançois-PerraultDefeated as an RCM candidate
  Jack ChadirdjianDarlingtonDefeated as a Nouveau Montréal candidate
  Jacques CharbonneauLouis-RielRe-elected as a Vision Montreal candidate
  Hubert DeraspeLouis-HébertDid not run for re-election
  Sammy ForcilloSaint-JacquesElected as an Équipe Montréal candidate [3]
  Pierre GagnierCartiervilleDefeated as a Nouveau Montréal candidate
  Robert GagnonÉmardDefeated as an Independent candidate
  Pierre GoyerSaint-ÉdouardDefeated as an Équipe Montréal candidate
  Robert LaraméePère-MarquetteDefeated as a Nouveau Montréal candidate [4]
  Marie LebeauPointe-aux-TremblesDefeated as a Nouveau Montréal candidate
  Martin LemaySainte-MarieDefeated as an Équipe Montréal candidate [5]
  Nathalie MalépartMaisonneuveDid 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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References
  1. Commission permanente de l'aménagement du territoire - Auditions et étude détaillée du projet de loi n° 216, Assemblée nationale du Québec, June 4, 1997
  2. La politique municipale à Montréal dans les années 1990 : du « réformisme populaire » au « populisme gestionnaire », Serge Belley, Érudit
  3. Sammy Forcillo briefly supported Jacques Duchesneau for Mayor and then changed his mind and announced that he would back Jean Doré's Équipe Montréal.
  4. Robert Laramée ran again as a Vision Montreal candidate in 2001 and 2005.
  5. Martin Lemay ran again as a Vision Montreal candidate in 2001 and 2005.
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