Plante and Coderre trade blows about transparency as election looms
CBC
In the final week of the campaign, we're following the race for mayor of Montreal. You can check out the party platforms here and more of our in-depth coverage here. Here's a look at what's happening today.
Transparency was once again the main theme on the campaign trail today, as both leading candidates in the race for Montreal's city hall traded barbs, accusing each other of not being honest with Montrealers.
On Thursday, Projet Montréal leader Valérie Plante continued her criticism of Denis Coderre over his initial refusal to disclose his financial records.
On Wednesday, the Ensemble Montréal leader revealed the names of eight companies who hired him between 2018 and March of this year, after insisting for days that he would share that information only if elected.
The records he released also showed he made $364,428 for his consultant work during the 2020 fiscal year.
Plante said her opponent only revealed the information because he didn't have a choice.
"All of this was done once his back was against the wall," she said. "I think Montrealers expected this to be done from the start."
Plante also said Coderre's consultant work for TC Transcontinental, the company which owns Publisac, is a red flag given the fact the company was the subject of a public consultation.
Francesco Miele, an outgoing city councillor with Ensemble Montréal in the Saint-Laurent borough, oversaw that consultation.
Coderre has said his work with TC Transcontinental was related to the company's plans to build a factory in the city's east end and had nothing to do with Publisac.
"The factory in the east end of Montreal is intimately linked to the future of Publisac," Plante said.
WATCH | Coderre explains his vision for the city
Coderre kicked off a news conference on Thursday by citing a CBC News report that Plante falsely claimed to have no knowledge of sexual assault allegations against an elected official in her party.
"Is he still a candidate? Is this person very close to her organization?" Coderre asked on Thursday. "When there's talk about transparency, we also want to know [what is going on]."
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