Projet Montreal introduces dream team

By Jason Magder
Montreal Gazette
May 12, 2009

MONTREAL – Introducing what he called a dream team, Projet Montréal leader Richard Bergeron said the slate of candidates nominated last night will win the majority of seats on the Plateau Mont Royal borough council.

“But we can’t take our votes for granted,” Bergeron told about 200 supporters who gathered for a nomination meeting at the headquarters of the Montreal police Brotherhood on Gilford St. across from the Laurier metro station.

“We have to talk to people every day, and seduce them with our ideas. … We may not win the mayoralty of Montreal, but we have no right to lose the borough council of the Plateau.”

Bergeron spoke after the six candidates for the borough council had spoken. There was only one candidate for each council position, so last night’s vote was merely a formality. The nomination of the position for borough mayor will be made at a later date.

Richard Ryan was nominated for borough councillor in the Mile End district, while Alexander Norris, a former Gazette reporter, will run for that district’s city council seat. Carl Boileau, the party’s first elected candidate in the 2005 election, will run for borough council to represent De Lorimier, and Josée

Duplessis, who last month defected from Montreal Mayor Gérald Tremblay’s Union party, will run for the city council seat for that district.

Piper Huggins will vie for borough councillor in the Jeanne Mance district, while Nimâ Machouf tries for that city council seat.

Machouf is an epidemiologist who teaches at the Université de Montréal and the wife of Québec solidaire co-leader Amir Khadir. She’ll be co-listed with Bergeron so he can have a seat on city council, should he lose his mayoralty bid.

Machouf, who was born in Iran, said Projet Montréal will push for a stricter code of ethics at city hall.

“We deserve a healthy city,” she said.

Boileau said he’ll work to make the Plâteau a welcoming place for children to grow up.

“I am troubled by the exodus of young families from the Plâteau,” he said.

Bergeron also addressed the party’s most recent poll numbers, which show it at a distant third, but with double the support from a previous survey.

“We have to work methodically to continue to build this party,” Bergeron said.

jmagder@thegazette.canwest.com