Tremblay Crisis
During a hearing at the Charbonneau Commission on October 1, 2012, construction industry contractor Lino Zambito alleged that Union Montreal received a sum equivalent to three per cent of the value of sewerage rehabilitation contracts awarded by the City of Montreal to a mafia-linked cartel.
On October 30, 2012, a former Union Montreal party organizer alleged that Mayor Tremblay was involved in illegal financing with the mafia. He claimed that Tremblay knew of these dubious financial practices and did not want to be made aware of them. These statements caused a series of negative reactions from the spokespeople of all the provincial political parties.
Following the allegations, Tremblay announced that he would be taking a few days off. On November 5, 2012, Tremblay announced that he was resigning as mayor, and was leaving politics. Following his resignation, Union Montreal councillors Frantz Benjamin, Michael Applebaum, Lionel Perez, Susan Clarke, Marvin Rotrand, Christian Dubois, Daniel Bélanger, Ginette Marotte, Alain Tassé and Frank Venneri all left the party to sit as independents. Seven more city and borough councillors resigned in February 2013, including the entire borough council of Anjou.
The party selected Richard Deschamps as its new candidate for Mayor of Montreal in the council vote on November 16. However, Deschamps was defeated 31 to 29 by Applebaum, who has pledged to run a non-partisan coalition council in which members of all parties, as well as the bloc of independents, will share seats on the Montreal Executive Committee.
On May 9, 2013, the party was officially dissolved, with the remaining members becoming independents.
Read more about this topic: Union Montreal
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