ADQ comes up short

The announcement that some West Island mayors from reconstituted municipalities have adopted Mario Dumont as their would-be saviour doesn’t come as a real surprise since the current Liberal government created a mess with the Montreal agglomeration council.

However, with just three mayors from the West Island — from its least populated municipalities — publicly turning away from the Liberals and championing the ADQ to undo the agglomeration council, it hardly seems there is a lot of political will to rock the boat in the West Island. Of course, there are concerns with diehard federalist voters about separation and another referendum looming if the Parti Québécois (which initiated the whole mess with the forced municipal mergers) is elected. Dumont’s history is troublesome for many federalists since he voted Oui in the 1995 referendum and, while no longer promoting outright separation from Canada, his party has plans — with some vague terms yet to be elaborated — to keep pushing for an independent Quebec nation within a strong Canada, or something to that effect.

Dumont tried to woo disgruntled mayors by promising to abolish the current agglomeration body but has failed to mention any specifics of what will replace it. Initially, he was also in favour of municipal mergers, though not necessarily forced ones, he says now.

The agglo body controls regional matters, such as police, fire and environmental services. As it is set up now, the mayor of Montreal controls — at will — the agglo purse strings, which account for much of the property taxes paid by West Islanders. Local mayors, rightfully, argue the agglo body amounts to taxation without representation.

While the ADQ now has the backing of mayors of Baie d’Urfé, Ste. Anne de Bellevue and Senneville, not one of them plans to actually run as an ADQ candidate against a Liberal incumbent. While their support is a boost to the ADQ, it will hardly make a dent in the political landscape in the West Island. Those mayors may be popular leaders in their small towns but they don’t have the populations to shake the Liberals at the ballot boxes. Dumont failed to gain the confidence of the mayors from larger West Island cities, such as Ed Janiszewski of Dollard des Ormeaux or Pointe Claire’s Bill McMurchie.

While their gesture may not bring down the Liberals, give credit to Baie d’Urfé’s Maria Tutino, Ste. Anne’s Bill Tierney and Senneville’s George McLeish for standing up for their citizens and making sure the Liberals know West Islanders want improvements to the much maligned agglomeration body. The Liberals say they are working to remedy the situation but nothing major has been done about it yet.