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2009 Montreal municipal election

← 2005 November 2, 2009 2013 →
65 seats in Montreal City Council
Turnout	39.44%
First party Second party Third party   Leader Gérald Tremblay Louise Harel Richard Bergeron Party Union Montreal Vision Montreal Projet Montréal Leader since 2001 2009 2004 Leader's seat Mayor Maisonneuve–Longue-Pointe Jeanne-Mance Last election 47 seats, 53.74% 14 seats, 36.33% 1 seat, 8.53% Seats before 52 9 1 Seats won 38 16 10 Seat change 14 7 9 Popular vote 159,020 137,301 106,768 Percentage 37.90% 32.73% 25.45% Swing -15.84% -3.60% +16.92%
Results for city council
Mayor before election Gérald Tremblay Union Montreal Elected mayor Gérald Tremblay Union Montreal

The city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, held a municipal election at the same time as numerous other municipalities in Quebec, on November 1, 2009. Voters elected the Mayor of Montreal, Montreal City Council, and the mayors and councils of each of the city's boroughs.

The election became plagued with allegations of corruption and mafia involvement in city contracts.

Results

Despite being assailed with accusations of corruption, incumbent Mayor Gérald Tremblay led his Union Montréal party to a third victory, although with reduced standings in city council. Union's seat totals remained firm especially in the boroughs merged into the city in 2002; it retained complete control of eight boroughs and near-complete control of three more.

Vision Montréal, led by former Quebec minister of municipal affairs Louise Harel, ran a campaign targeting the mayor on ethics. However, its campaign was blindsided by a scandal involving its second-in-command and former leader Benoit Labonté, who dropped out of the race. Vision increased its council standing but was unable to defeat the mayor. It won complete control of Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve and majorities in three other borough councils.

Third party Projet Montréal increased sharply in popularity. An Angus Reid poll shortly prior to the election put its leader Richard Bergeron neck-and-neck (32%) with the two other main candidates (34% for Harel, 30% for Tremblay). He would finally come in third, but the party increased from just one seat at the previous election to ten council seats, two borough mayors, four borough councillors, and complete control of the borough of Le Plateau-Mont-Royal. Besides its main issue of public transit and urban planning, the party emphasized ethics, running its campaign on just $200,000.

Mayor of Montreal

Composition of city and borough councils

Depending on their borough, Montrealers voted for:

• Mayor of Montreal
• Borough mayor (except in Ville-Marie, whose mayor is the Mayor of Montreal), who is also a city councillor
• A city councillor for the whole borough or for each district, who is also a borough councillor (Outremont and L'Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève have no city councillors other than the borough mayor)
• Zero, one, or two additional borough councillors for each district

Seat-by-seat results

Nomination was open until October 2 at 4:30 p.m.

Candidate statistics

Party names are the official ones registered with Élection Montréal.

Results by party

Ahuntsic-Cartierville

Anjou

Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce

L'Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève

Lachine

LaSalle

Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve

Montréal-Nord

Outremont

Pierrefonds-Roxboro

Le Plateau-Mont-Royal

Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles

Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie

Saint-Laurent

Saint-Léonard

Le Sud-Ouest

Verdun

Ville-Marie

Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension

Declined

Johanna Raso - Financial consultant, former lecturer at McGill University, published articles. She was invited to run for borough mayor by both major parties, Union Montreal and Vision Montreal. She declined both invitations, despite campaign support from the business community.

References

1. CBC News (October 22, 2009). "Quebec to create special corruption squad". Retrieved October 25, 2009.
2. "Tight race for Montreal mayor". CTV. October 30, 2009.
3. Gentile was a first-time candidate. See Véronique Leduc, "Présentation des candidats du district de Bordeaux-Cartierville" Courier Ahuntsic/Bordeaux-Cartierville, October 1, 2009, accessed February 5, 2013.
4. Born in Ahuntsic, Bazinet has a master's degree in management. He has been a member of Projet Montréal since its founding and is running for the party again in the 2013 municipal election. See Élections municipales 2013 – Deux nouveaux candidats s’ajouteront à l’équipe de Projet Montréal d’Ahuntsic-Cartierville Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, Projet Montréal, April 25, 2013, accessed July 11, 2013.
5. Lapointe has a bachelor's degree in community organization from the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), has pursued graduate studies in marketing and science management at UQAM and HEC Montréal, and worked for many years with the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ). The 2009 election was his first bid for public office. See Louise Harel et Benoit Labonté présentent l'équipe de candidat-e-s de Vision Montréal dans l'arrondissement d'Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Vision Montreal, August 25, 2009, accessed July 11, 2009; Pascal LeBlanc, "Présentation des candidats du district de Saint-Sulpice," Courrier Ahuntsic, 9 October 2009, accessed 11 July 2013
6. ^ "A person may only run for one position, either mayor of the city, borough mayor, city councillor, or borough councillor. However, a person running for mayor of the city for an authorized party may also run, together with a second person called a 'co-candidate' (colistier), for city councillor. This does not include the position of borough mayor. If the candidate for mayor is elected and also obtains the largest number of votes for the position of city councillor, he or she becomes mayor of the city and the co-candidate becomes city councillor. If he or she is defeated for city but obtains the largest number of votes for city councillor, he or she becomes city councillor for the district or (in the case of Anjou and Lachine only) the borough instead of the co-candidate, unless he or she refuses the position in writing within 30 days after his or her election as city councillor is announced." - Élection Montréal. Manuel du candidat. 2009. pp. 8-9.
7. Élection Montréal. "Retrait de la candidature de M. Christian Prévost." October 22, 2009.
8. Caldwell had previously been Projet Montréal's candidate for borough mayor of Mercier–Hochelaga–Maisonneuve in the 2005 municipal election. At that time, he was described as a documentary filmmaker. See "East-end residents expect to reap merger benefits," Montreal Gazette, October 23, 2005, A5.
9. Bouchard was a first-time candidate. According to his campaign biography, he has a graduate degree in health and social services from the École nationale d'administration publique, a Bachelor of Science degree from the Université de Montréal, and a Registered Nursing degree from the Cégep de Maisonneuve, and has been a director in Quebec's health and social service sectors. See Michel Bouchard: campaign biography, Projet Montréal. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
10. Ramacieri formerly worked for Jean Doré and Thérèse Daviau. Source: Olivier Laniel, "Une ex-candidate d’Union Montréal anime les soirées Demain Montréal,"' Montreal Express, November 16, 2012.
11. Hébert has a master's degree in economics, has worked in public and governmental relations in Quebec and Canada, and is the founder of the Association québécoise des lobbyistes. Source: "Louise Harel et Benoit Labonté présentent l'équipe de candidat-e-s de Vision Montréal dans l'arrondissement du Plateau-Mont-Royal," Canada NewsWire, September 5, 2009, 10:30 am. She is not to be confused with a different Martine Hébert who serves as vice-president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. A candidate named Martine Hébert ran for the Parti Québécois in 1989, though it is not known if this was the same person.
12. Bilodeau was a first-time candidate. There is a prominent political scientist of the same name on the faculty of Concordia University, though it is not known if this is the same person.
13. Fréchette has an economics degree from HEC Montréal and a Master of Arts degree in international relations from Laval University. She founded the North American Forum on Integration in 2002 and served as its president and director-general until 2011. She has also worked as an administrator for the Centre d'études et de recherches internationales de l'Université de Montréal and has been a consultant for the Conseil supérieur de la langue française, the government of Quebec, and other organizations. After the 2012 Quebec provincial election, she became the principle press attaché for cabinet minister Jean-François Lisée. Sources: "A Fresh Look at North American Integration," Canada NewsWire, November 18, 2004, p. 1; Jean-François Lisée, Government of Quebec, accessed April 24, 2013; Christine Fréchette Archived May 9, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Centre d'études et de recherches internationales de l'Université de Montréal, accessed April 24, 2013.
14. Marchildon was a first-time candidate who focused his campaign around environmental and public transit issues. He is a computer programmer analyst with a background in promoting open-source software. See Roberto Rocha, "Open-source at risk of becoming mainstream," National Post, September 19, 2007, FP10; Candidat - Nicolas Marchildon, cyberpress.ca, 2009. Retrieved August 14, 2011; Guillaume Picard, "Saint-Léonard", Progrès Saint-Léonard, October 27, 2009, accessed August 14, 2011.
15. Mallozzi was a twenty-three-year-old student at the Université du Québec à Montréal. He called for greater transparency in government and a crime prevention strategy based on education and better interactions with the police. He had previously been an independent candidate in Saint-Leonard's 2008 borough mayoral by-election, when he received 110 votes (0.91%) for a fourth-place finish against Michel Bissonnet. See Guillaume Picard, "Saint-Léonard", Progrès Saint-Léonard, October 27, 2009. Retrieved August 14, 2011; Official results - Saint-Léonard borough, Septembre 21, 2008, City of Montreal, accessed August 14, 2011.
16. According to his party biography, Fiori has a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Italian studies from the Université du Québec à Montréal (2004). He has worked as an actor and was pursuing a Bachelor of Laws degree from McGill University during the 2009 election. See "Franco Fiori," Projet Montréal Archived March 29, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 22, 2011; Candidat - Franco Fiori, cyberpresse.ca, 2009, accessed September 13, 2011.
17. Surprenant was twenty years old during the campaign and had been involved with Projet Montréal since 2005. His campaign focused on public transit. See Guillaume Picard, "Candidats au poste de conseiller d'arrondissement", Progrès Saint-Léonard, October 16, 2009. Retrieved October 13, 2011.
18. Louis was a resident of Parc-Extension in 2009. Active in the Haitian Canadian community, her campaign focused on improved public transit and renewing government following the municipal scandals of previous years. See Guillaume Picard, "Candidats au poste de conseiller d'arrondissement", Progrès Saint-Léonard, October 16, 2009. Retrieved October 13, 2011.
19. Souad El Haous is of Moroccan background. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications and a master's degree in human resource management, and has worked with children with learning disabilities and has promoted cross-cultural events. See Guillaume Picard, "Candidats au poste de conseiller de ville", Progrès Saint-Léonard, October 16, 2009. Retrieved September 28, 2011; Biographie: Souad El Haous Archived March 29, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Projet Montréal, accessed September 28, 2011.
20. Boughaba, who is originally from Morocco, is a French literature scholar with a Ph.D. from the University of Toulouse. She contributed to a book entitled "Québécois et musulmans main dans la main pour la paix" in 2006. The following year, she led a delegation of Muslim women organized by the Canadian Islamic Congress to Hérouxville, Quebec after the small community passed a series of anti-Muslim resolutions. Boughaba's group brought gifts, including French-language books on Islam, and said that Quebecers had nothing to fear from the province's Muslim community. During a press conference at the event, Boughaba said, "Let's stop the prejudices, let's be reasonable, let's accommodate each other -- that's our message." Later in the same year, she testified to the Bouchard-Taylor commission that it is "unpardonable" for cultural communities to be "denigrated, put into a box and called names." The 2009 campaign was her first bid for public office. See Jeff Heinrich, "'Accommodate Each Other'," Montreal Gazette, February 12, 2007, p. 1; Jeff Heinrich, "Diverse portraits of modern Quebec; Bouchard-Taylor. Protesters disrupt open-mike forum," Montreal Gazette, November 28, 2007, p. 8; Mariève Tremblay, "Dr Najat Boughaba est de tous les combats", Progrès Saint-Léonard, January 8, 2008. Retrieved September 28, 2011; Candidat - Najat Boughaba, cyberpresse.ca, accessed September 28, 2011.
21. Rocco de Robertis ran for council in 2005 as a Vision Montreal candidate and placed second against Dominic Perri. In 2009, he focused his campaign on infrastructure and security. See Guillaume Picard, "Candidats au poste de conseiller de ville", Progrès Saint-Léonard, October 16, 2009. Retrieved September 28, 2011; "Election 2005 Results: Montreal & Suburbs," Montreal Gazette, November 7, 2005, p. 10.
22. Martin Lavallée identified as a cook. See Guillaume Picard, "Candidats au poste de conseiller d'arrondissement", October 19, 2009. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
23. Carmelo de Stefano was born in Italy, moved to Quebec in 1973, and has worked for many years in the paper and printing sector. He called for greater social equality during the 2009 election and highlighted his party's pledge to create more social housing. See Guillaume Picard, "Candidats au poste de conseiller d'arrondissement", October 19, 2009. Retrieved September 13, 2011; Candidat - Carmelo de Stefano, cyberpress.ca, 2009, accessed September 13, 2011.
24. Luis Ruivo was an entrepreneur and first-time candidate. See Guillaume Picard, "Candidats au poste de conseiller d'arrondissement", October 19, 2009. Retrieved September 13, 2011; Steve Caron, "L'Action civique Saint-Léonard fait son apparition", Progrès Saint-Léonard, September 9, 2009, accessed September 13, 2011.
25. Mudi Wa Mbuji Kabeya moved to Canada in 1995 and has a Master of Arts degree in history from the Université de Montréal. He has served as vice-president of the Congrès des Congolais du Canada and was president and general-manager of Centre Africain de Développement et d'Entraide in 2013. As of 2013, he serves on the executive on Projet Montréal. See Laureates, Liévin Mudi Wa Mbuji Kabeya, http://moishistoiredesnoirs.com, accessed April 30, 2013; and Conseil de direction Archived April 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Projet Montréal, accessed April 30, 2013.
26. Delisle sought the Parti Québécois nomination for Saint-Henri in the 1985 Quebec provincial election, but lost to Francine Lalonde. See Nancy Wood, "Lalonde wins St. Henri with premier's backing," Montreal Gazette, October 30, 1985, A4.
27. A resident of Griffintown, Lemay is as an education consultant and author of math textbooks. See "Articles par Steeve Lemay," Notre Projet Montréal dans Le Sud-Ouest, accessed July 10, 2013.
28. Fréchette was elected to the Sud-Ouest borough council in the 2005 Montreal municipal election as the borough councillor for Saint-Henri–Petite-Bourgogne–Pointe-Saint-Charles as a member of the Montreal Island Citizens Union. He served a full four-year term. See Linda Gyulai, "Southwest goes to MICU by 38 votes," Montreal Gazette, November 25, 2005, A7.
29. As a result of Bill 22 of 2008, the Act to amend various legislative provisions concerning Montréal, section 25, the composition of the Ville-Marie borough council was changed. Instead of a borough mayor, two city councillors, and two borough councillors, the borough council now consists of the mayor of Montreal, three elected city councillors, and two other councillors named by the mayor from among the city council.
30. Pelletier had previously worked for Parti Québécois Member of the National Assembly (MNA) Martin Lemay. See Martin Croteau, "Forcillo brigue un nouveau mandat", cyberpresse.ca, August 29, 2009. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
31. Élection Montréal. "Message aux électeurs du district de Sainte-Marie." October 18, 2009.
32. Frederic Rappaz is the founder of the website Entendu à Montréal. The 2009 campaign was his first bid for public office. See Marie-France-Lou Lemay, "ENTENDU À MONTRÉAL Les absurdités de la métropole", canoe.ca, April 19, 2008. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
33. Zid's campaign was focused in part on facilitating employment for the homeless. See "Soirée électorale Sainte-Marie – Saint-Jacques: Questions.
34. Harry Delva was born in Haiti and moved to Canada at age seven. A prominent figure in Montreal's Haitian community, he has a degree in administration and criminology, hosts the program Noir de monde on CJNT, and has run the Maison d'Haiti youth centre in Saint-Michel since 1993. In 2011, he served on Montreal's Round Table on Black History Month. See "Black History Month Celebration," See Danielle Adams, "Where danger lurks: Gangs are an intrinsic part of everyday life on streets of St. Michel," Montreal Gazette, October 3, 2004, A1; Paul Cherry, "Province offers funding for street gang problem," Montreal Gazette, December 8, 2007, A6; "Harry Delva se lance en politique avec Louise Harel", Radio-Canada, October 1, 2009. Retrieved October 25, 2011; Lison Budzyn, "Harry Delva: «Je serai un conseiller patrouilleur!»" Archived October 3, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Journal de Saint-Michel, September 23, 2009, accessed August 25, 2011; Montreal Community Contact, February 3, 2011, Volume 21, Issue 3, p. 8.

External links

• Élection Montréal 2009
• Official election results

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