'Ideological' divide between Montreal and the CAQ: analyst

Of the 90 seats the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) won in the Quebec election, only two came from the province's largest city.

It appears Montreal really is an island, in every sense of the word -- and now, in the wake of the election, there's concern the city won't be a priority in the re-elected government.

"There is a sense that [the CAQ doesn't] need Montreal and a sense, on the part of Montrealers, that they feel alienated," McGill University political analyst Daniel Beland told CTV News.

The party won just two seats out of a possibly 27 in Montreal; CAQ candidate Karine Boivin Roy was victorious in Anjou—Louis-Riel, while Chantal Rouleau won her seat in Pointe-Aux-Trembles.

Despite these low numbers, party leader and premier Francois Legault has defended his relationship with the city.

"I think we had a good relationship with the mayor, and we worked hard for Montreal," Francois Legault told reporters last week.

"We have to remember that I'm from Montreal," he added. "I know how important Montreal is for Quebec."

The election results on Monday meant Montreal's colourful mix of red, orange and dark blue will be in a massive sea of CAQ light blue.

Over the last four years, there have been tensions between the city and the province, notably over issues like funding the pink metro line and Bills 21 and 96 -- laws that impact religious and linguistic minorities, which have a larger presence in the metropolis.

"The divide here is also ideological. It's the divide between a progressive left-wing mayor and a centre-right premier," Beland explained.

That mayor, Valerie Plante, did acknowledge the influence of provincial political power within the city. But that influence lies within the opposition, she says. 

"I feel like Montrealers wanted to be sure their priorities would be spoken by every party. When you look at it, we have three leaders of the four elected parties here in Montreal," Plante stated on Tuesday.

Liberal leader Dominique Anglade ran and won in the Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne riding; Quebec solidaire co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau Dubois won in Gouin; and Parti Quebecois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon got his seat in Camille-Laurin.

Félicitations à @francoislegault et son équipe!

Nous avons hâte de poursuivre le travail pour répondre aux priorités des Montréalais-es et des municipalités : la transition écologique, l’habitation, la mobilité et la sécurité.#polqc #polmtl

— Valérie Plante (@Val_Plante) October 4, 2022

Francois Legault, meanwhile, was the only elected leader who ran outside the city, in L'Assomption, of Quebec's Lanaudiere region.

And the riding themselves are unequal, Beland noted.

The Magdalen Islands, for instance, has just over 11,000 eligible voters, while Montreal's D'Arcy McGee riding has over 55,000 -- but both ridings represent one seat in the National Assembly.

"We have a government that is region-centric and an opposition that is Montreal-centric, and that should create an interesting dynamic in the National Assembly," he said.

Legault made a point to say in his victory speech that he grew up in Saint-Anne-de-Bellevue, a suburb on the western edge of Montreal.

But with just two of his party's representatives in Montreal, there are concerns the CAQ will need to build more bridges to the island.