Meetings with Projet Montréal’s mayoral candidates: The alliance’s proposals to revitalize Montreal’s democracy are gaining traction!
In recent weeks, several volunteers from the Participatory Democracy and Governance (DPG) working group and the alliance’s general coordination team have met, in turn, with Ericka Alneus, Gracia Kazoki Katahwa, Laurence Lavigne Lalonde, and Luc Rabouin to discuss the Alliance’s proposals for renewing and strengthening democracy in Montreal. Following these meetings, Gracia Kazoki Katahwa, mayor of NDG-Côte-des-Neiges, and Luc Rabouin, mayor of Plateau-Mont-Royal, both committed to launching a “Chantier 2.0” initiative on Montreal democracy if they are selected as candidates by Projet Montréal members on March 15.
These meetings come a few months after the Montreal Forum: Democracy at the Heart of the Transition, a significant moment for the alliance when its members, along with many key organizations in Montreal’s transition ecosystem, came together to reflect on the future of Montreal’s democracy, based on the premise that democracy is a prerequisite for the transition project and that our current mechanisms are insufficient to address the complexity of the challenges the city now faces. Nine proposals from the DPG group’s most recent report on the state of Montreal democracy were presented and discussed by the participants, including, for example, the creationof a “Citizens’ Assembly of the Future,” composed of citizens selected by lottery to envision the city’s future, or the development of permanent deliberative bodies on the socio-ecological transition within neighborhoods. That said, the report’s central call is for the launch of a “Chantier 2.0” on Montreal democracy (2.0 because it comes 25 years after the Summit on Democracy), which would be the ideal vehicle for presenting the alliance’s proposals to the public and enabling them to take ownership of them.
That same report, sent to the candidates ahead of the meetings, served as the basis for the discussions and led participants to talk about the current political context, the desires and needs expressed by Montrealers, as well as what could be done politically to improve our current democratic mechanisms and thereby hopefully make the decisions necessary to adapt to and combat climate change, all while taking into account the many and varied realities that make up Montreal.
In their own words, many of the alliance’s ideas resonate with the candidates’ aspirations. Here is what at least two of them have committed to:
This morning, I met with members of the Transition to Democracy Working Group. I was deeply impressed by their commitment to democracy and citizen participation. They shared several interesting ideas with me that have proven successful elsewhere in the world.
This meeting reminded me of my own commitment 20 years ago, when I was a member of the Working Group on Municipal Democracy and Citizenship. Today, it is more important than ever to strengthen local democracy. Why? Because democracy is threatened by the rise of radical right-wing ideas, and because social and environmental problems are too big for cities to solve on their own. We need to work together—the city, citizens, and community organizations—in Montreal and throughout Quebec.
If I become mayor of Montreal, I pledge to:
Launch a major initiative to strengthen local democracy and explore the potential for sharing the management of certain public spaces with community organizations (as in the case of the Louvain-Est eco-neighborhood).
Support boroughs that organize local participatory budgeting initiatives (such as Ahuntsic).
Support initiatives that help people make the transition (such as “Toutes à vélo”).
Increase funding for neighborhood councils that help residents—especially the most vulnerable—adapt to the current transition.
– Luc Rabouin, mayor of Plateau-Mont-Royal
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While talking with the Transition en Commun group this morning, there was something about the work they do that really resonated with me. Because, for me, socio-ecological transition and citizen participation are closely intertwined.
I’ve noticed this ever since I became mayor. All across the city, many residents feel a sense of powerlessness. People want to be part of transforming the city. And I firmly believe that to keep moving Montréal forward, we must find ways to include citizens in our decision-making—whether it’s about the ecological transition, active mobility, or building a Montréal for all.
That is why, within 100 days of my election as mayor of Montreal, I will draw inspiration from the work of Transition en commun and launch the major “Democracy 2.0 Initiative” to give citizens a greater say in the decisions we make to transform the city. Starting in 2026, this initiative will be tasked with proposing pilot projects for innovation in citizen democracy.– Gracia Kasoki Katahwa, Mayor of CDN-NDG
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This is encouraging news, and we will continue to promote the alliance’s ideas throughout the election campaign. We will also meet with Guedwig Bernier and the opposition candidates as soon as possible.