Marquis-Bissonnette embarks on race for mayor

Maude Marquis-Bissonnette is the fifth person to apply for the 2024 Gatineau mayoral by-election which will be held on June 9. The four other candidates include Councillor Olive Kamanyana, Jacques Bélanger, Daniel Feeny and Mathieu Saint-Jean.

Djeneba Dosso

During a press conference held on Monday Mar. 25, Maude Marquis-Bissonnette announced she will run for the leadership of municipal political party Action Gatineau. The former councillor also used this opportunity to confirm her intentions to present her candidacy for the mayor of Gatineau, following her defeat to France Bélisle in 2021.

Her announcement was made with the support of former mayor of Gatineau, Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin, the executive vice-president of the Canadian Labour Congress, Larry Rousseau and the current councillor of the Plateau district, Bettyna Bélizaire, who all stood by her side.

In the last election, Marquis-Bissonnette finished second with 38% of the vote against 43% of the vote for the former mayor. After taking a step back, she admits she struggled to pitch strong policies toward day-to-day administration to the people of Gatineau. With this in mind, she listed the city’s infrastructure, police system, sports and leisure complex as matters she wishes to prioritize—adding they will be detailed during the campaign.

“It has to be said that we won’t make a revolution in 16 months, but people want things to move, people want us to move forward, and I feel I’m the right person to do so quickly.”

Before embarking on the mayoral race, Marquis-Bissonnette will first have to win over the Action Gatineau party that announced just five days prior the conditions for their race to chiefdom. Anyone who wishes to apply for the role must be a current member of Action Gatineau, eligible in the name of Electoral Law and have completed the party’s candidacy questionnaire. Additionally, candidates are required to raise a minimum of $2,000 in funding and obtain at least 100 support signatures—50 in the West and 50 in the East of Gatineau by April 8. The new party leader will be the candidate for mayor in the by-election on June 9.

For Marquis-Bissonnette, running for the mayoral race alongside Action Gatineau is a no-brainer. “When you’re serious about capitalizing on the different identities that exist from Buckingham to Aylmer,” she said, “you need a team.”

Although Action Gatineau has thrived to cultivate good electoral results in the city’s West end, concerns about their lack of presence in the East of Gatineau were raised. Marquis-Bissonnette says she has heard these doubts and is working closely with councillor for the Touraine district Tiffany-Lee Norris-Parent and councillor for de Bellevue district Alicia Lacasse-Brunet to “be more attentive,” highlighting once more the role of teamwork within her party and campaign.

“It’s unthinkable to expect results on all these fronts when you’re on your own,” she said. “I wouldn’t do it if it weren’t for working as a team: [with] the Action Gatineau members, of course, but also all the councillors around the municipal council floor.”

If elected as leader on April 8, her focus will turn to the race for City Hall. Marquis-Bissonnette is the fifth person to apply for the 2024 Gatineau mayoral by-election. The four other candidates include Councillor Olive Kamanyana and businessmen Jacques Bélanger, Daniel Feeny and Mathieu Saint-Jean.

While she took a break from political life following her defeat, the former councillor affirmed she “understands the complexities of municipalities throughout Quebec and the tools that are available to move the city forward.” Adding this makes her the right candidate to run “the municipal machine.”

“I want to demonstrate that I am able to be an effective elected municipal official to advance the concerns of the citizens I represent, as well as the challenges facing the city of Gatineau to make it more beautiful, more attractive and more sustainable,” she said.

Photo captions:

Photo #1: Maude Marquis-Bissonnette announced she will run for leader of Action Gatineau and mayor of Gatineau during a press conference held on Monday, March 25 at 315 Saint-Joseph Boulevard. The former councillor previously lost to France Bélisle in 2021 being short of just 3,000 votes. 

Photo #2: Action Gatineau chiefdom candidate Maude Marquis-Bissonnette (middle) announced she would be running for mayor of Gatineau on Monday morning. Her candidacy was supported by Action Gatineau members, former mayor of Gatineau, Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin, the executive vice-president of the Canadian Labour Congress, Larry Rousseau and the current councillor of the Plateau district Bettyna Bélizaire, who all stood by her side.  

Photo credits: Djeneba Dosso