Vision Montreal

Infobox_Canada_Political_Party
party_name = Vision Montréal
party_wikicolourid = Union Nationale
status = active
class = mun
party_
leader = Benoit Labonté
president = Benoit Labonté
foundation = April 19, 1994
dissolution =
ideology = fiscal conservatism, environmentalism and local government consolidation
headquarters = 440, place Jacques-Cartier, #1
Montreal, Quebec
H2Y 3B3
int_alignment = None
colours = Dark Blue
(also Red and Green)
seats_house = 11
website = [http://www.visionmtl.com/ http://www.visionmtl.com/]

Vision Montreal ( _fr. Vision Montréal or VM) is a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It has been in existence since 1994 and presently forms the opposition on Montreal City Council under Benoit Labonte.

Origins

The party was established in 1994 to promote the candidacy of Director of the Montréal Botanical Garden and then rising political star Pierre Bourque for Mayor of Montreal.

Accomplishments

Bourque was elected Mayor against incumbent Jean Doré in 1994. 39 of his candidates were elected to City Hall. In 1998, he and his team were re-elected for a second term.

The Bourque administration is credited with:

* the introduction of a balanced city budget, with the help of the provincial government in 1998;
* the revitalization of the Old Montreal Historic District;
* the implementation of neighborhood programs known as "Éco-quartiers"; such programs consist of:
** recycling;
** adding greenery on public property;
* the reopening of the Lachine Canal in 1997;
* the expansion of diplomatic and commercial relations between Montreal and Shanghai, China; [ [http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/52/52052.htm Visite de Pierre Bourque en Asie, Radio-Canada, July 13, 2000] ]
* a modest reversal of Montreal's suburbanization between 1996 and 2001;
* the merger of Montreal and 27 other surrounding municipalities into one city government that covers the entire island of Montreal in 2001-02 (an idea known as "Une île, une ville" or "One island, one city" in English).

hortcomings and Criticism

However, Vision Montreal's performance was not beyond reproach.

For instance, the party was plagued by allegations of campaign-finance violations during its tenure. [ [http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/22/22837.htm Le parti de Pierre Bourque dans le pétrin, Radio-Canada, February 26, 1999] ]

On the other hand Bourque was criticized for his perceived lack of flexibility. During his first term, he suffered a munity within his party. Fifteen of his councillors left his administration to sit as Independents. By August 1997, only a minority of the councilmembers (24 out of 51) were members of Vision Montreal. [ [http://www.erudit.org/revue/ps/2003/v22/n1/006579ar.html La politique municipale à Montréal dans les années 1990 : du « réformisme populaire » au « populisme gestionnaire », Serge Belley, Érudit] ]

Furthermore, the merger was met with so much resistance from residents and politicians of Montreal’s predominantly English-speaking West Island that by 2005 fifteen municipalities had demerged from the city center. After it had reached 1.8 million people, the population of Montreal was reduced to 1.6 million residents.

Also, Bourque was often ridiculed because his strong emphasis on environmental issues was sometimes dismissed as nothing more than a simple annoyance. He was soon known as "Géranium I^er (Geranium the First)" to the public. During a May 12, 2006 interview with then journalist Bernard Drainville though, Bourque claimed that he was not offended by the nickname, pointing at the fact that there is nothing shameful about "being a gardener". [ [http://www.radio-canada.ca/actualite/v2/lapartdeschoses/archive53_200605.shtml# Pierre Bourque: l'homme, le jardinier et le maire, La part des choses, Radio-Canada, May 12, 2006] ]

Opposition

In 2001, Vision Montreal was voted out of office. 64% of the residents of pre-merger Montreal voted for Bourque and his team. But elsewhere, Vision Montreal met a very strong, well-disciplined and united opposition. Gérald Tremblay, who was backed by former members of the Montreal Citizens' Movement (RCM) as well as anti-merger activists, became mayor.

In 2005, Vision Montreal saw its share of the popular vote eroded in pre-merger Montreal, while it still was regarded with mistrust by voters elsewhere.

Bourque’s Succession

In 2003, Bourque temporarily left his job as Leader of the Opposition, while he tried to become an ADQ Member of the provincial legislature in the district of Bourget. He lost and decided to resume his career at the municipal level. Councillor Ivon Le Duc slammed the door and made the decision to sit as an Independent, [ [http://lcn.canoe.com/infos/regional/archives/2003/02/20030218-193800.html Ivon Le Duc siégera finalement comme indépendant, LCN, February 18, 2003] ] but the majority of the Vision Montreal members wanted Bourque back.

Bourque stayed for three more years.

However he decided to quit city politics in May 2006. Following his resignation, François Purcell (Councilmember for the district of Saint-Édouard) was selected as the party’s Acting Leader. Noushig Eloyan (Councilmember for the district of Bordeaux-Cartierville) has become the Acting Leader of the Opposition.

A leadership convention should be called before the 2009 election.

It is unclear whether or not emerging party Projet Montréal has the potential to replace Vision Montreal as the main alternative to the Tremblay administration. However, it seems evident that Vision Montreal, despite its difficulties, has been the most stable opposition party at City Hall since the RCM of the early 1980s.

Mayoral Candidates

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- bgcolor="darkgray"

Election
Mayoral Candidate
Popular Vote for Mayor
Number of Councillors

1994Pierre Bourque47%39/51
1998Pierre Bourque44%39/51
2001Pierre Bourque44%31/73
2005Pierre Bourque36%12/64

Victories are indicated with bold fonts.

Footnotes

ee also

* Vision Montreal Crisis, 1997