Does the city need its own minister
Maxime Bergeron goes to a business meeting addressed by Christine Fréchette, who’s minister of the economy, innovation and energy, minister responsible for regional economic development and minister responsible for Montreal and its region. After presenting some grim numbers about the state of the city’s economy, Bergeron asks whether the city should have a
full time minister looking after its needs.
Ian 20:24 on 2025-03-26 Permalink
The province of Quebec has a population of just over 8 million., Greater Montreal is 4.37 million. The provincial government may not like us, but the numbers are right there for everyone to see.
steph 21:08 on 2025-03-26 Permalink
Yet we don’t have the votes to keep ourselves a priority.
Ian 21:35 on 2025-03-26 Permalink
Well that’s the Canadian voting system writ large; the point of ridings is so that even the least populous areas of the country have a say in what goes on. Of course Justin Trudeau went back on his promise of electoral refrom so whatever. Carney or PP sure as heck won’t do it, and it’s in the CAQ’s best interests to keep things just as they are on a provincial level too.
Joey 09:51 on 2025-03-27 Permalink
@Ian interesting you bring up Trudeau’s broken promise, which presumably would not have applied to Quebec elections, when you could have brought up Legault’s broken promise to hold a referendum on a mixed-member proportional system.
I wonder if things would be different if Montreal voted as a bloc, instead of splitting its seats mostly among the LPQ and QS.
Ian 12:53 on 2025-03-27 Permalink
TBH I wasn’t aware that Legault made that promise … though I am not surprised he broke it. Anyway it doesn’t matter if we vote PLC becasue they take the Montreal vote fro granted and spend their energies trying to woo ethnonationalists.
Kate 21:22 on 2025-03-27 Permalink
Ian, he certainly flirted with the idea, as described here and here. Later, Legault handwaved the whole thing, saying Quebecers were not interested. But the unkept promise doesn’t hang over him as it did over Justin Trudeau.
Ian 22:11 on 2025-03-27 Permalink
To be fair it was a main plank of Trudeau’s election platform, so it’s fair that it hangs over him.
That it doesn’t hang over Legault might simply be becasue he is so easily reviled for so many far more egregious things such as running any openly ethnonationalist government rife with blatant corruption and systemic racism.