Cathy Wong joins Projet Montréal
City council speaker Cathy Wong, elected under the old Team Coderre banner, has crossed the floor to join Projet Montréal. The party’s decision to draw the line with the developer of the old Children’s Hospital site apparently convinced her Projet is on the right path.
Joey 17:54 on 2019-10-02 Permalink
When Cathy Wong was named speaker, The Gazette wrote the following:
“As is customary for council speakers, Wong will have to refrain from attending her party’s caucus meetings to maintain her semblance of neutrality, and will vote in council only in the event of a tie.”
I wonder how she will square this now that she has (after years of being lobbied) finally joined up with PM. Doesn’t quite sit right, to be honest.
Kate 19:18 on 2019-10-02 Permalink
I wondered about that too, having just read about how the speaker of the Mother of Parliaments (currently the redoubtable John Bercow, whose name will be familiar to those following the Brexit antics) has to accept to sit as an independent. Evidently Montreal city hall has no such rule on its books.
Joey 22:17 on 2019-10-02 Permalink
It’s less about the rules and more about Cathy Wong’s values and sense of consistency, no? The Voters of her district elected her as a member of another party. She made herself an independent when it was politically advantageous for her to do so, and now has decided to join the party her electors rejected. All of this is kosher and fair within our system, but given her argument about being an independent speaker, it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that she is being opportunistic.
Kate 10:57 on 2019-10-03 Permalink
Joey, I don’t think there’s ever been a rule against crossing the floor to join another party, at any level.
I find it actually more irritating when I see municipal councillors “trading up” to run for a seat in the National Assembly or the Canadian parliament. They took an oath to serve, which I think they should feel binding, unless an unforeseeable factor like injury or illness makes it impossible.