Valérie Plante prepares for greater scrutiny after poll has her tied with Denis Coderre
'Many people will be challenging me on many fronts, but I'm ready,' Projet leader says
In the final week of the campaign, we're following the two main Montreal mayoral candidates — Denis Coderre and Valérie Plante — as they battle for top spot at city hall. Here's a look at what happened today.
Valérie Plante had an extra jump in her step on Monday after a poll showed her in a virtual tie with the mayoral incumbent, Denis Coderre.
With success comes greater scrutiny, however — a point Plante acknowledged in an interview with CBC News this morning.
"It's going to be a great week, many people will be challenging me on many fronts, but I'm ready," Plante said.
"At the same time, there's still a week left to do, and so we don't take anything for granted. So we'll be working, working, working hard on the field."
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The CROP poll, commissioned by Radio-Canada, found 39 per cent of Montrealers back Plante, compared with 37 for Coderre.
It was conducted between Oct. 19 and 24 — a period covering the campaign's two debates — and surveyed 1,094 Montreal voters over the internet.
'I'm going to be myself,' Coderre says
Coderre, for his part, acknowledged the race was tight, saying "you never take things for granted."
"The minute you take people for granted, the worst happens," he said.
"We've been on the field since day one. Think about what happened in Montreal four years ago, and look ahead. Pride is back. We've been doing a lot, and there's no time to improvise, there's no time to start from scratch."
The poll gave Coderre good marks for leadership, but Plante scored better than him on measures of integrity and willingness to listen.
Coderre said at age 54, he's not going to change his ways.
"I'm going to be myself," he said. "Authenticity provides you the right to make mistakes. I'm human."
You can take a closer look at the results here.
Still undecided? Check out a profile of each candidate:
Coderre spent Monday morning at a bio-manufacturing facility, taking pains to point out his city's economic sucesses. Later, he met students at the Université de Montréal.
Superbe rencontre ce midi avec les membres de la <a href="https://twitter.com/FAECUM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FAECUM</a> et étudiants Université de Montréal. Merci pour l'échange fructueux et constructif <a href="https://t.co/uJsghEs2IL">pic.twitter.com/uJsghEs2IL</a>
—@DenisCoderreAfter an interview with CBC Montreal's Daybreak host Mike Finnerty, Plante met the editorial team at the Montreal Gazette and members of the chamber of commerce in Montreal East.
Here's a look at one interesting moment that emerged from the Daybreak interview, and here's Plante's full interview with CBC's Debra Arbec.
An interview with Coderre will be broadcast this evening on our 6 p.m. newscast and on our Facebook page, starting at 6:20 p.m.
Make a date with CBC for election night this Sunday, Nov. 5:
Online: Get breaking news and live results at cbc.ca/montreal after polls close at 8 p.m.
On Facebook: Join host Debra Arbec for a 90-minute Facebook Live starting at 10 p.m. with results, analysis and reports from across Quebec.
On TV: Watch our live results show at 11-11:30 p.m. on CBC Television.
On Radio: Listen to CBC Radio One starting at 8 p.m. for a province-wide show hosted by Mike Finnerty in Montreal and Susan Campbell in Quebec City.