Gérald Tremblay

Gérald Tremblay (born September 20, 1942) is a Canadian politician and businessman currently serving his third term as mayor of Montreal and as president of the Montreal Metropolitan Community. Before becoming mayor he had a long career in business and management.

Early life and career

Born in Ottawa, Ontario, Tremblay grew up in Montreal, where his family moved when he was four years old. His parents, Georges Albert Tremblay, a notary, and Rollande Forest, had four boys: Michel, Gérald, Marcel, and François. He was admitted to the Bar of Quebec in 1970 after receiving a law degree from the University of Ottawa in 1969, and he later received an MBA from the Harvard Business School in 1972. He was in senior management in several financial institutions in Quebec, such as BDPM and Hydro corporation, until 1989, when he was elected to the National Assembly and served as Minister of Industry, Commerce, Science and Technology until 1994, in the government of Robert Bourassa. After being re-elected to the national assembly in September 1994, he resigned in April 1996.

After his second term in the legislature and until his election as mayor on November 4, 2001, he was a successful entrepreneur, setting up a chain of specialty boutiques called Dans un Jardin which sold mostly perfume, but also jam, and other small delicacies. He also served on the board of directors of several corporations.

Gérald Tremblay and his wife, Suzanne Tailleur, were married on November 24, 1979 and the next year had twins, Marie-Laurence and Georges-Etienne.

Mayoral career

Tremblay ran for mayor of Montreal after the controversial merging of the municipalities that made up the Montreal Urban Community (MUC) into one single city spanning the entire island of Montreal, which caused then-mayor Pierre Bourque, who was associated with orchestrating the merger, to call an election. Tremblay's municipal political party was known as the Montreal Island Citizens Union (now known as Union Montréal), and his election campaign was based on re-evaluating the merger and decentralizing the city structure.

In the 2001 election, shortly after the towns on the island of Montreal had been forcibly merged into a new Island-wide city of Montreal, Tremblay campaigned as the defender of towns and cities. He received a great deal of support from opponents of the merger. However, in the subsequent referendum on the question of demerger, he was accused of betraying his supporters by coming out strongly in favour of the "no" side, supporting the megacity.

On November 6, 2005, Gérald Tremblay won his second term in office, easily winning against long-time rival Pierre Bourque by 74,646 votes. The voter turn-out estimated at 39.13% was the lowest ever in the history of the Montreal municipal elections. (See Quebec municipal elections, 2005).

Since he took office, Tremblay has streamlined the city's operations but also generated controversy in some quarters. While his administration improved public consultation mechanisms, it is also considered by many to be one of the most secretive administrations in Montreal history, causing some to declare that the democratic deficit has grown during his tenure despite improvements to consultation. His administration also attempted a radical decentralization of the city by giving more power to the boroughs, but at the same time has come under attack by suburban mayors who decry his clear preference for Montreal to receive a much larger share of the island's tax revenues than it would have before the merger. However, many argue that these boroughs are even less responsive to the public than City Hall, since they are not required to offer public consultations on their decisions. Nevertheless, the public can (and sometimes does) force referendums on particular bylaw proposals.

Park Avenue controversy

Tremblay received criticism for his proposal to change the name of Avenue du Parc to Avenue Robert-Bourassa, in honour of former Quebec premier Robert Bourassa, without public consultation.^[1] The proposal was approved by City Council in a vote on November 29, 2006.^[2] Much of the criticism of the proposal came from residents and businesses who inhabit Avenue du Parc. On February 6, 2007, Mayor Tremblay backed away from his position on Avenue du Parc after losing the support of Bourassa's family. In a press conference on the issue, the mayor claimed to "have learned that the opinion of citizens is important."

Tremblay generally keeps to himself, and is known for avoiding the media.

In 2006, Tremblay was appointed vice president for North America of United Cities and Local Governments and re-elected vice president of the International Association of Francophone Mayors.

Municipal election history

References

External links

• Official city portal – Ville de Montréal: Mayor's office
• Biography – National Assembly of Quebec