Anne-France Goldwater announces support for Projet Montréal's Valérie Plante
Montreal lawyer who once considered running for mayor now supporting official opposition
Prominent Montreal lawyer Anne-France Goldwater, who was considering a run for mayor last year, announced her support for Projet Montréal leader Valérie Plante Monday.
"A political career is for someone who wants to improve society," Goldwater said in a news conference outside the Montreal courthouse. "I've found that in Valérie Plante."
"It is time for us to elect our first woman mayor," Goldwater said.
Goldwater is a family lawyer involved in some of Quebec's best-known cases, such as the fight for the rights of common-law ex-spouses in Lola versus Eric, and a television personality on the show l'Arbitre.
She most recently came to public attention for her strong stance against Mayor Denis Coderre's pit bull by-law.
'Throw the bum out': Goldwater on Coderre
That wasn't the first time she took on Coderre's leadership.
She called for the mayor to step down after his trip to Tehran last year, calling him "pro-terrorist," and she echoed her distaste for him Monday.
"Throw the bum out," she said, in English, adding in French, "There is no polite way to say that in French."
Goldwater criticized Coderre for having spent a billion dollars for Montreal's 375th anniversary festivities, among other things.
"Shame on you!" said Goldwater.
Last October, Goldwater said she was considering running for mayor because of her frustration with how the city was being managed.
Although she considers herself more conservative than Plante in terms of political world view, Goldwater said she thinks it's time to put these differences aside.
She said she believes young people have no confidence in the city's administration.
"They would like to know that people of different political stripes can get together and set aside these political allegiances for the sake of making this city the best city in North America."
'Montrealers have lost faith,' Plante says
"Montrealers have lost faith," echoed Plante. She, too, cited dissatisfaction with how lavishly the city spent money on Montreal's 375th anniversary celebrations and events such as Formula E.
She said she believes the city should do more to protect cyclists, referring to the death of Mathilde Blais under the viaduct on St-Denis Street in Rosemont in 2014.
The city announced Friday it would invest $150 million over five years to develop the city's cycling infrastructure.
Municipal elections are on Nov. 5.
With files from Radio-Canada