Two Mouvement Montreal candidates drop out of municipal election

Montreal -

Two candidates from Mouvement Montreal have withdrawn from Montreal's Nov. 7 election.

Hochelaga candidate Jean-Philippe Martin and Maisonneuve-Longue-Pointe candidate Sylvain Medzalabenleth are no longer running, according to Elections Montreal. 

Both candidates were running in the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district. 

The two former Mouvement candidates are the latest to drop out of the party led by mayoral-candidate Balarama Holness. 

Most notably, Marc-Antoine Desjardins, who led Ralliement pour Montreal before the two parties merged, threw in the towel earlier this week, citing political differences with his new party. 

Holness told CTV News he is wishing the former candidates “goodbye and good luck.”

“It’s inconsequential,” he said. “For them to fold their cards just days before the election, all we can say is we wish them well.”

Holness had never met the pair and admits communication with his new political bedmates from Ralliement is somewhat strained.

He indicated that he and his team are barely in touch with those who joined Movement Montreal as Ralliement candidates.

“I just hope they are doing what they need to do to get elected, including going door to door campaigning.”

Half a dozen candidates have now withdrawn from the race since the parties merged three weeks ago.

The parties’ decision to merge created tension among some because of their divergent opinions about the French language status of the city of Montreal and police funding.

Movement Montreal now has 68 candidates including about 20 former Ralliement candidates.