Coderre points to experience while Holness emphasizes new ideas on the campaign trail
Montreal mayoral candidate Denis Coderre and his Ensemble Montreal party kicked off its summer campaign on Sunday by unveiling a slate of candidates who will run in November's election.
At the Verdun event, nine candidates who will run in Ahuntsic-Cartierville, St-Leonard, Ville-Marie, Pointe-Aux-Trembles and Verdun were announced.
“We need experience. We need people who know what to do with the management. We need people who will be able to work with the bureaucracy,” said Coderre.
The once and possibly future mayor of Montreal said experience was key in finding candidates for Ensemble Montreal.
“We have people from the restaurant level, from enterprises, community level, sports, culture,” he said. “This is a greaty diversity. We don't study diversity, we are diversity.”
Also on the campaign trail was one of Coderre's opponents, also seeking to unseat incumbent Valerie Plante. Balarama Holness, the former Montreal Alouette and a community activist, said his Movement Montreal is “the only party that actually reflects the diversity of Montreal and that's something we're very proud of.”
Holness pitched himself as a salve for Montrealers who are sick of the Plante versus Coderre debate. The latter two ran against each other four years ago, with Plante emerging victorious over the then-mayor.
Holness said his party is one of big ideas, such as making Montreal a bilingual city and changing bylaws to increase social housing.
“We have a tremendous amount of support from all Montrealers,” he said. “They are telling us something very, very clear. We do not want to go back to the Plante/Coderre era.”
However, Holness admitted to facing a challenge in getting people to know his name in a field dominated by current and former mayors.
“Once I am on the debate stage with Valerie Plante and Denis Coderre and we are speaking about policy, we are speaking about Montrealers, that is when the game is going to change,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
BREAKING Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are moving on to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.