Sue Montgomery removed from Projet Montréal

The borough mayor of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Sue Montgomery, has been expelled from Projet Montréal's caucus, the mayor's office announced Friday afternoon.

In a statement, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, the leader of Projet Montréal, said she removed Montgomery because the borough mayor refused to fire a member of her staff found to have committed psychological harassment.

A report by the city's comptroller said two employees had suffered psychological harassment at the borough office.

"I have a zero-tolerance harassment policy, and this applies to elected officials, politicians and all public servants in our public service," Plante said.

'I stand for justice and the truth': Montgomery

Montgomery, a former journalist at the Montreal Gazette, was elected borough mayor in 2017. 

In a statement on her Facebook page, Montgomery said she was "very disappointed" with the decision.

"I stand for justice and the truth. Up until now, I have respected the confidentiality of this conflict and worked in good faith to find a solution," she said.

Montgomery said that she had not seen the report and neither had Plante nor the staff member who was the subject of the investigation.

"I would be the last person to condone harassment," said Montgomery, who before she was elected had co-created a social media campaign that shed light on survivors of sexual violence.

"I will also not condone lack of due process. We live in a democracy where people have a right to see evidence against them and to defend themselves. This has not happened and I cannot accept it."

Montgomery said she will continue to hold her position independent of her former party.