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| Montreal municipal election, 2009 | |
|---|---|
| Election name | Montreal municipal election, 2009 |
| Country | Canada |
| Type | municipal |
| Previous election | 2005 Montreal municipal election |
| Previous year | 2005 |
| Next election | 2013 Montreal municipal election |
| Next year | 2013 |
| Election date | November 1, 2009 |
Montreal municipal election, 2009 The Montreal municipal election of 2009 was held on November 1, 2009, to elect the mayor of Montreal and members of the Montreal City Council and borough councils. The vote followed political realignments after the 2002 municipal mergers and the rise of new municipal parties, featuring high-profile figures from Quebec Liberal Party, Action démocratique du Québec, and former provincial politicians. Turnout, party fragmentation, and debates over municipal mergers framed the contest, producing a result that reshaped municipal coalitions and influenced subsequent Quebec municipal politics.
The election occurred in the context of the post-merger municipal map established by the provincial government led by Jean Charest of the Quebec Liberal Party and the earlier reforms under Bernard Landry of the Parti Québécois. Montreal's electoral structure combined a directly elected mayoral race with contested seats on the Montreal City Council and nested borough councils such as Ville-Marie, Le Plateau-Mont-Royal, and Lachine. The electoral system used first-past-the-post rules similar to those in Canada municipal contests, with ward-based contests influenced by demographics of neighborhoods like Outremont, Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie, Saint-Laurent, and Anjou. Legal and administrative oversight involved institutions including the Director General of Elections (Quebec) framework and municipal statutes under the National Assembly of Quebec.
Campaigning featured major municipal parties such as Union Montréal led by incumbent mayor Gérald Tremblay, Projet Montréal led by Richard Bergeron, and Vision Montréal associated with former mayor Bourque allies. Platform debates highlighted fiscal management proposals tied to infrastructure investments in areas like the Montreal Metro and the Montreal Biodome, transit initiatives on Société de transport de Montréal corridors, and policies for cultural institutions such as the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the Place des Arts. Key issues included the aftermath of forced mergers championed earlier by Yves Séguin-era provincial policy debates, borough autonomy reminiscent of reforms by Pierre Bourque, and corruption concerns linked to inquiries like the later Charbonneau Commission. Campaigns drew endorsements from figures in federal politics including personalities from Conservative Party of Canada and campaign support from provincial actors connected to François Legault and André Boisclair.
Major mayoral candidates included incumbent Gérald Tremblay (Union Montréal), challenger Richard Bergeron (Projet Montréal), and candidates from Vision Montréal and independent contenders with municipal profiles from borough leadership such as Nathalie Le Prohon-type local politicians and former commissioners. Council and borough slates featured diverse lists with incumbents from sectors like Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, activists from Plateau Mont-Royal cultural communities, and francophone and anglophone figures from Westmount and Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. Candidate recruitment involved party strategists who had worked on provincial campaigns for leaders including Jean Charest, Pauline Marois, and municipal organizers who previously assisted Pierre Bourque and Raymond Blain in municipal strategy. Lists also included community leaders associated with institutions such as McGill University, Université de Montréal, Concordia University, and representatives of business groups like the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal.
Polls conducted before the election showed varying support patterns, with media outlets commissioning surveys from firms tied to pollsters who had sampled electorates in Quebec, Ontario, and urban regions like Toronto and Vancouver. Polling snapshots suggested incumbent strength for Gérald Tremblay in central ridings such as Saint-Léonard and Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles, while Richard Bergeron polled strongly in Le Plateau-Mont-Royal and progressive boroughs including Outremont. Analysts comparing trends to earlier contests such as the 2005 Montreal municipal election and the 1994 Montreal municipal election noted vote-splitting risks among pro-reform parties and potential impacts of turnout variations in anglophone districts like Westmount and NDG.
The final tally confirmed re-election of incumbent mayor Gérald Tremblay with a plurality of votes across diverse boroughs, while Projet Montréal made inroads in council representation in neighborhoods such as Le Plateau-Mont-Royal and Ville-Marie. Union Montréal secured a majority of seats on the Montreal City Council and retained control of key boroughs including Saint-Laurent and Lachine, though Vision Montréal and independents captured several ward victories in Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve and Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève. Seat distributions altered committee compositions influencing oversight bodies like the Commission de la culture and municipal finance committees that liaise with provincial ministries represented in the National Assembly of Quebec.
Post-election dynamics involved realignment within municipal politics, affecting relations between Montreal and the provincial administration under Jean Charest and shaping policy on demerger referendums reminiscent of actions in 2004 demerger referendums. The election's outcomes influenced later inquiries into municipal contracts that intersected with investigations leading toward the Charbonneau Commission and set the stage for the 2013 Montreal municipal election where questions of transparency, transit policy for the Société de transport de Montréal, and urban development projects including downtown redevelopment near Old Montreal regained prominence. Political careers of several councilors and party leaders evolved with some moving to provincial roles connected to parties like Coalition Avenir Québec and others returning to civic activism in institutions such as Le Devoir and La Presse.
Category:Municipal elections in Montreal Category:2009 elections in Canada Category:2009 in Quebec