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

Djeneba Dosso

LJI Reporter

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 cap

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. (DD) Photo: Djeneba Dosso

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. (DD) Photo: Djeneba Dosso