“Valérie Plante under fire for unannounced European trip despite campaign promises”

Valérie Plante did not announce her one-week mission to Europe, a practice which she nevertheless criticized former mayor Denis Coderre and which she had promised to put an end to.

“It’s very worrying,” reacted Danielle Pilette, associate professor of municipal management in the Department of Strategy, Social and Environmental Responsibility at UQAM.

The mayoress of Montreal announced in the middle of the afternoon Monday that she was in London through her Twitter account.

• Read also: Valérie Plante is on a mission in Europe

• Read also: Affordable housing: Montreal (very) far from the mark

His meetings in this city, Vienna and Paris were not on his public agenda, however noted the Journal.

Nor had she announced this trip to the last executive committee or by means of a press release.

A half-fulfilled promise

During the election campaign in 2017, the elected representative of Projet Montréal had however promised to “end the culture of secrecy” of the administration of Denis Coderre.

She pledged “to make her agenda public” so that Montrealers are free to learn about the activities in which she participates and the trips she makes. In 2018, she took action by making her activities and meetings public on the Internet.

For the opposition at City Hall, this is a “half-fulfilled” promise.

“If the said agenda has been put in place, it is still necessary that we find all the information in real time … or the information at all”, detailed in a written statement the leader of Ensemble Montreal, Aref Salem.

He claims to have learned on Monday that the mayor was in Europe via his social networks.

“Interest Groups”

For his part, M.^me Pilette is concerned to see that the mayoress visited Vienna with a delegation made up, among others, of the real estate developer Prével, as well as the work unit for the establishment of student housing (UTILE), “interest groups” which are called upon to apply for permits and subsidies from the City of Montreal, she recalled.

“We have the unpleasant impression that we wanted to escape public scrutiny for as long as possible under the pretext that it is about housing,” mentioned the expert in municipal management at Journal.

Valérie Plante was to grant an interview to the Journal to review his trip. His press secretary, Marikym Gaudreault finally declined if questions were asked about the absence of meetings on the agenda.

“There is no secret,” she assured on the phone, stressing that the firm had accepted the request for The Press to accompany the Mayor to Europe.

“I don’t remember that we made a press release every time we went on a mission,” she added.

As for her, the director of communications of the firm, Catherine Émond, affirmed that the absence of announcement in good and due form resulted from a “human error”.