Serge Bélanger

Serge Bélanger is a former politician in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He was a member of the Montreal city council from 1975 to 1986 and served on the Montreal executive committee in the 1980s. Bélanger was a member of mayor Jean Drapeau's Civic Party of Montreal.

Bélanger was a building contractor in private life.^[1] He was first elected to city council in the 1974 municipal election for the Sainte-Marie division and was re-elected in 1978 and 1982. He served on the executive committee during the final years of Drapeau's administration.^[2]

Drapeau retired with the 1986 municipal election, in which the opposition Montreal Citizens' Movement (MCM) won a landslide majority on city council under Jean Doré's leadership. Bélanger was defeated by MCM candidate Serge Lajeunesse in Sainte-Marie. During this campaign, Lajeunesse accused Bélanger of attempting to scare voters in low-income neighbourhoods and retirement homes by claiming that municipal subsidies would be cut off in the event of a MCM victory. Bélanger denied the charge.^[3]

Bélanger was elected to the Civic Party executive in May 1989 as a supporter of the party's Drapeau-era establishment against internal reformers.^[4] He tried to return to council in the 1990 municipal election and finished third in the François-Perrault division against MCM candidate Vittorio Capparelli.^[5]

Bélanger was an ally of Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) Jean-Claude Malepart, who helped canvass for his municipal campaigns.^[6]

Electoral record

1990 Montreal municipal election results: Councillor, François-Perrault Party Candidate Total votes % of total votes Montreal Citizens' Movement Vittorio Capparelli (incumbent) 1,757 43.66 Municipal Party Frank Venneri (incumbent) 1,142 28.38 Civic Party of Montreal Serge Bélanger 1,125 27.96 Total valid votes 4,024 100 Source: Election results, 1833-2005 (in French), City of Montreal.

1986 Montreal municipal election results: Councillor, Sainte-Marie Party Candidate Total votes % of total votes Montreal Citizens' Movement Serge Lajeunesse 3,420 60.45 Civic Party of Montreal Serge Bélanger (incumbent) 2,152 38.03 ADMM Yvon Roy 86 1.52 Total valid votes 5,658 100 Source: Election results, 1833-2005 (in French), City of Montreal.

1982 Montreal municipal election results: Councillor, Sainte-Marie Party Candidate Total votes % of total votes Civic Party of Montreal Serge Bélanger (incumbent) 3,342 52.23 Montreal Citizens' Movement Roger Marchand 2,751 42.99 Municipal Action Group Gaétan Toussaint 306 4.78 Total valid votes 6,399 100 Source: Election results, 1833-2005 (in French), City of Montreal.

1978 Montreal municipal election results: Councillor, Sainte-Marie Party Candidate Total votes % of total votes Civic Party of Montreal Serge Bélanger (incumbent) 3,752 67.10 Municipal Action Group Georges Massicotte 1,107 19.80 Montreal Citizens' Movement Pauline Laflamme 733 13.11 Total valid votes 5,592 100 Source: Election results, 1833-2005 (in French), City of Montreal. Party identifications are taken from Le Devoir, 11 November 1978.

1974 Montreal municipal election results: Councillor, Papineau, Ward Two Party Candidate Total votes % of total votes Civic Party of Montreal Serge Bélanger 6,056 51.53 Montreal Citizens' Movement Michel Boisvert 5,697 48.47 Total valid votes 11,753 100 Source: Election results, 1833-2005 (in French), City of Montreal. Party affiliations are taken from the Montreal Star, 11 November 1974, A11.

References

1. "MCM has firm grip in most 'Dore country' districts," Montreal Gazette, 6 November 1986, p. 4.
2. "Bio-tech centre to employ 220 by 1986: scientist," Montreal Gazette, 9 March 1985, p. 3; "Dupras says Civic Party will rise again," Montreal Gazette, 10 November 1986, p. 3.
3. "MCM has firm grip in most 'Dore country' districts," Montreal Gazette, 6 November 1986, p. 4.
4. "Old guard wins control of Civic Party executive," Montreal Gazette, 14 May 1989, p. 3.
5. Claude Arpin and Tu Thanh Ha, "We'd cut councillors' pay: Civic Party chief; Gagnon-Larocque proposes slashing taxes to stimulate investment," Montreal Gazette, 5 October 1990, p. 3.
6. "Mayor will turn 70 next week; Drapeau thinks about quitting and sifts possible successors," Montreal Gazette, 15 February 1986, p. 1.