‘Canadians want us to work together,’ Mayor Plante says of Liberal election victory

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante says newly elected Members of Parliament can best serve Canadians if they focus on working together across party lines.

Plante was reacting to Mark Carney’s victory in the federal election at a press conference Wednesday. She says a Liberal minority means politicians in the House of Commons will need to collaborate.

“I think it sends a message that Canadians want us to work together,” she said. “We definitely have to put our ideas together. We need to put maybe some of (the) things that opposes those parties aside. I think it also sends a message that in order to do that, there has to be respect.”

Carney’s Liberals won 169 seats, three shy of a majority government. The Conservatives remain the official Opposition with their 144 seats. The Bloc Québécois finished third with 22 seats, while the NDP saw just seven candidates elected.

Plante said that she looks forward to meeting with Prime Minister Carney to address a number of priorities for the city and to share certain concerns of citizens, describing “a few projects” the metropolis is working on with the federal government.

“I can tell you that they’re looking for more options for housing, and that is a subject that is crucial for Montrealers today, but also in the future,” she said.

“There are a few projects that we’re working (on) with the federal, that we were working with the federal in the past, so I’m looking forward to continue those conversations in terms of financing the infrastructure, when I think about Hippodrome, for example.”

Public transport is another priority, according to Plante. “Montrealers are craving for more options,” she said.