Mayor Plante nominates first Black woman to serve as speaker of Montreal's city council
Montreal city council is expected to see its first Black woman serve as speaker in yet another move toward more diversity in municipal politics.
Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante has nominated lawyer and former Canadian Armed Forces member Martine Musau Muele for the top position.
Muele was elected as city councillor in the Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension borough in the Nov. 7 election.
Plante proposed her Thursday during the first regular meeting of the city’s executive committee — one that now has more women than men as members for the first time. The committe comprises 13 women and five men.
Muele is the founder of the Muele boutique law firm, which specializes in public policy law and administrative law.
A University of Ottawa graduate, Muele worked as a legal attaché for international organizations, including the international committee of the Canadian Red Cross in Geneva.
“I am confident that her extensive work experience, including serving two municipalities as City Clerk, as Commissioner of the OCPM, and with the Canadian Armed Forces and the firm she founded, will enable her to skillfully lead City Council's work and foster constructive and respectful discussions," said Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante in a news release.
Her nomination will be subject to a vote at the first city council meeting on Monday.
Musau Muele is the second Black woman to be named to a high-profile position at city hall in as many days; the new chair of the executive committee, Dominique Ollivier, was named to her new role on Wednesday. She is the first Black woman to hold that position.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
Spike in 'violent rhetoric' since Oct. 7 attack from 'extremist actors,' CSIS warns
The Israel-Hamas war has led to a spike in 'violent rhetoric' from 'extremist actors' that could prompt some in Canada to turn to violence, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warns.
Russia announces nuclear weapon drills after angry exchange with senior Western officials
Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine and Moscow warned that tensions with the West are deepening.
Summer forecast: What to expect as El Nino weakens
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Israeli army tells Palestinians to evacuate parts of Gaza's Rafah ahead of an expected assault
The Israeli army on Monday ordered tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza's southern city of Rafah to start evacuating from the area, signalling that a long-promised ground invasion there could be imminent.