The world of politics
is clearly evolving, with the U.S. elections gathering 19 women in the senate,
the largest in their history, while Colorado and Washington have become the
first states to legalize marijuana.
In Quebec there is a
similar influence, with Parti Québécois leader Pauline Marois elected the first
woman premier and Léo Bureau-Blouin the youngest MNA- we take a look at the
week that shook La Belle Province, as 2012 continues to be a major year.
Montreal
Mayor Gérald Tremblay – November 5th
"Tonight I am here
to inform you that after 25 years of service to this community I am leaving
public life," declared Gérald Tremblay on Monday at a press conference
when announcing he is leaving politics, due to allegations involving illegal
party financing.
Whether this is in cause
of corruption scandals or Mayan prediction, within one week Quebec has seen
longtime leaders step down from their positions.
A lawyer by training
and former Liberal MNA in Outremont, Tremblay was elected as mayor of Montreal on
November 4th 2001. He is also known for starting the Dans un Jardin boutique franchise with
his wife.
After four years he was
re-elected with a successful majority, however it was only years later when
scandals would begin surfacing. According to the CBC, “In 2007, the city of
Montreal handed a $355 million contract — the largest contract in its history —
to Génieau, a consortium that included the construction firm Simard-Beaudry,
owned at the time by entrepreneur Tony Accurso.”
Despite all this,
Tremblay received a third term by 2009. His projects to revitalize the city
included the Bixi bikes and developing the downtown core into Le Quartier des
Spectacles.
By October 30th
of this year, more scandals had broken out when former Union Montréal worker
Martin Dumont announced at the Charbonneau Commission, that Mayor Gérald
Tremblay was aware that his party received illegal financing, but reportedly
turned a blind eye.
"He wanted to be
seen as the mayor who — after decades of neglect — would fix Montreal," said
Linda Gyulai, a Montreal Gazette reporter who revealed the water meter scandal.
""When he said 'I didn't know,' some people were stupefied...but they
believed him,"
"I think that's
changed now."
Laval
Mayor Gilles Vaillancourt – November 9th
Gilles Vaillancourt was
elected as mayor of the Parti du Ralliement Officiel (PRO de Laval) in 1989,
serving for over two decades.
Beginning in politics
in his early thirties, one of his major city projects was in 2007, when his
administration extended the Orange Line of the Montreal Metro to Laval.
His final mandate would
be in 2009, when he was running against Mouvement lavallois party candidate
Lydia Aboulian. Vaillancourt was re-elected with a successful majority of 61.3%.
In early October 2012,
the 'Unité permanente anticorruption’ (UPAC) searched Vailancourt’s home for
evidence of corruption, also regarding the Charbonneau Commission.
The Montreal Gazette
stated that opposition parties “often accused Vaillancourt of silencing
opposition through intimidation and lawsuits.”
City
Counselor Union Montréal Michael Applebaum – November 9
Remaining borough mayor
for the Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce region since 2001, Applebaum made a
bold move by resigning his position as city counselor due to disagreement with
his political party.
The city and former
Mayor Tremblay's presented its budget which includes a proposed 3.3% increase in
property tax. Applebaum sought to make the property tax increase at 1.1%.
Applebaum also made a
clear note on the corruption scandal, in which he announced reports on a
document that states Montreal had been paying 30-40% more on construction
contracts than necessary.
Many speculate another
reason regarding his resignation involves him not being chosen as interim mayor
to take Tremblay’s position.
Within the past year, several
others have also given their place involving similar scandal:
- -On May 14th, PLQ education
minister Line Beauchamp resigned claiming she felt she was not a part of a
possible solution to the issue of the tuition increase imposed by the Charest
government. There were also allegations of her possible involvement in the
corruption scandal.
Michelle Courchesne alongside Line Beauchamp
She
was soon succeeded by Michelle Courchesne, who declared during the election
campaign she would not renew her mandate.
- -Jean Charest, Premier of Quebec since
2003, was defeated in the September 2012 elections after representing his
Sherbrooke riding since 1984. If this were a novel by George Orwell, the year
could be seen as a foreshadowing to the scandals which would develop during his
era as leader.
From
scandals such as Anticosti, Plan Nord and the most recent case of being aware
universities are not underfunded; this might as well have been long awaited.
Allowing us to take a breath from corruption and onto a politician with a different perspective; another prominent figure who resigned on Monday is Québec Solidaire co-speaker and MNA Amir Khadir, who assumed office in 2008. Other than politics, he is also an activist for Quebec sovereignty, feminism, and has been an active participant in the student movement of this year.
Khadir declares himself stepping
down as a way of passing on his position to that of Québec Solidaire MNA
Françoise David.
And there it is- the domino effect that has taken over in provincial politics this week, as corruption scandals continue to arise. One wonders whether other politicians will follow, or whether similar cases will be seen in other provinces, such as Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty’s resignation in mid-October. Just what will we learn next on the road to Quebec’s societal reform? Stay tuned…
As Bob Dylan sang,
something that couldn’t be applied to a better time, “the times they are a-changin’”.
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