Municipal Action Group
Encyclopedia
The Municipal Action Group (MAG; French: Groupe d'action municipale) was a municipal political party that existed from 1978 to 1985 in Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
.
(MCM), which had become the official opposition on Montreal city council
in the 1974 municipal election
. The MCM was initially supported by a heterogeneous community that included trade unionists, Parti Québécois
and New Democratic Party supporters, and a variety of social activists. The party later became divided between its radical and centrist members, with some of the centrists forming the nucleus of the MAG. Both parties were regarded as being to the left of mayor
Jean Drapeau
's Civic Party
, which dominated city politics in this period.
The MAG's founding members included two sitting councillors who had been elected for the MCM — Nick Auf der Maur
and Bob Keaton — and Liberal
Member of Parliament
(MP) Serge Joyal
, who was nominated as the party's candidate for mayor.
. The parties initially pledged to run respectful campaigns against one another, and their mayoral candidates speculated about forming a coalition government
after the election. By the end of the campaign, however, relations between the parties had broken down into animosity. On election day, the split in the progressive vote resulted in a landslide victory for the Civic Party; Joyal finished a distant second in the mayoral contest, while Auf der Maur was the MAG's only candidate elected to council. The MCM also suffered a serious defeat; Michael Fainstat
was the party's only successful candidate for council.
Joyal initially pledged to remain with the MAG but ultimately returned to federal politics. The MAG and MCM remained rivals on council, and in September 1982 Fainstat sued Auf der Maur for unfairly branding him as a communist. The two parties nonetheless held coalition talks prior to the 1982 municipal election
, but these ended in failure.
finished a credible second in the mayoral contest, while the MAG's Henri-Paul Vignola placed third with just over 15 per cent of the vote. The MCM won sixteen seats on council, re-establishing themselves as the official opposition. Three MAG candidates were elected: Auf der Maur, Sofoklis Rasoulis, and Sam Berliner.
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Origins
The Municipal Action Group was formed in 1978 as a breakaway from the progressive Montreal Citizens' MovementMontreal Citizens' Movement
The Montreal Citizens' Movement was a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It existed from 1973 to 2001.-Origins:...
(MCM), which had become the official opposition on Montreal city council
Montreal City Council
The Montreal City Council is the governing body of Montreal, Quebec. The head of the city government in Montreal is the mayor, who is first among equals in the City Council. The mayor is Gérald Tremblay, who is a member of the Union des citoyens et des citoyennes de l'Île de Montréal...
in the 1974 municipal election
Montreal municipal election, 1974
The 1974 Montreal municipal election took place on November 10, 1974, to elect a mayor and city councillors in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Longtime mayor Jean Drapeau was re-elected to another four-year term in office.-Results:MayorCouncil...
. The MCM was initially supported by a heterogeneous community that included trade unionists, Parti Québécois
Parti Québécois
The Parti Québécois is a centre-left political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Quebec and secession from Canada. The Party traditionally has support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social-democratic parties, its ties with the labour movement are informal...
and New Democratic Party supporters, and a variety of social activists. The party later became divided between its radical and centrist members, with some of the centrists forming the nucleus of the MAG. Both parties were regarded as being to the left of mayor
Mayor of Montreal
The Mayor of Montreal is head of the executive branch of Montreal City Council.The Mayor's office administers all city services, public property, police and fire protection, most public agencies, and enforces all city and provincial laws within Montreal....
Jean Drapeau
Jean Drapeau
Jean Drapeau, was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as mayor of Montreal from 1954 to 1957 and 1960 to 1986...
's Civic Party
Civic Party of Montreal
The Civic Party of Montreal was a municipal political party in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It existed from 1960 to 1994. Throughout its history the Civic Party was dominated by the personality of its leader Jean Drapeau.-Origins:...
, which dominated city politics in this period.
The MAG's founding members included two sitting councillors who had been elected for the MCM — Nick Auf der Maur
Nick Auf der Maur
Nick Auf der Maur was a journalist, politician and "man about town" boulevardier in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He was also the father of rock musician Melissa Auf der Maur, through his marriage to Linda Gaboriau....
and Bob Keaton — and Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) Serge Joyal
Serge Joyal
Serge Joyal, PC, OC, OQ is a Canadian Senator. A lawyer by profession, Joyal served as vice-president of the Quebec wing of the Liberal Party of Canada...
, who was nominated as the party's candidate for mayor.
1978 election
Both the MAG and the MCM ran full candidate slates in the 1978 municipal electionMontreal municipal election, 1978
The 1978 Montreal municipal election took place on November 12, 1978, to elect a mayor and city councillors in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Longtime mayor Jean Drapeau was re-elected to another four-year term in office, defeating Canadian federal parliamentarian Serge Joyal.Elections were also held in...
. The parties initially pledged to run respectful campaigns against one another, and their mayoral candidates speculated about forming a coalition government
Coalition government
A coalition government is a cabinet of a parliamentary government in which several political parties cooperate. The usual reason given for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the parliament...
after the election. By the end of the campaign, however, relations between the parties had broken down into animosity. On election day, the split in the progressive vote resulted in a landslide victory for the Civic Party; Joyal finished a distant second in the mayoral contest, while Auf der Maur was the MAG's only candidate elected to council. The MCM also suffered a serious defeat; Michael Fainstat
Michael Fainstat
Michael Fainstat was a Canadian politician and a City Councillor in Montreal, Quebec.-Background:In the early seventies he became a founding member of the progressive Montreal Citizens' Movement, also known as Rassemblement des citoyens et citoyennes de Montréal in French.-City Councillor:He was...
was the party's only successful candidate for council.
Joyal initially pledged to remain with the MAG but ultimately returned to federal politics. The MAG and MCM remained rivals on council, and in September 1982 Fainstat sued Auf der Maur for unfairly branding him as a communist. The two parties nonetheless held coalition talks prior to the 1982 municipal election
Montreal municipal election, 1982
The 1982 Montreal municipal election took place on November 14, 1982, to elect a mayor and city councillors in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Longtime mayor Jean Drapeau was re-elected for what turned out to be his final term in office, defeating challenger Jean Doré.Elections were also held in...
, but these ended in failure.
1982 election
The Montreal Action Group again ran a full slate of candidates in the 1982 election. Drapeau was re-elected to another term in office and MCM candidate Jean DoréJean Doré
Jean Doré is a Canadian politician and former mayor of the City of Montreal, Quebec.-Background:Jean Doré studied law at the Université de Montréal, where he was president of the student union from 1967 to 1968. He received a Master's Degree of Political Science from McGill University...
finished a credible second in the mayoral contest, while the MAG's Henri-Paul Vignola placed third with just over 15 per cent of the vote. The MCM won sixteen seats on council, re-establishing themselves as the official opposition. Three MAG candidates were elected: Auf der Maur, Sofoklis Rasoulis, and Sam Berliner.