Émilie Thuillier

Émilie Thuillier
Vice-Chair of the Montreal Executive Committee (with Benoit Dorais)
Incumbent
Assumed office 2012
Preceded by	Alan DeSousa and Richard Deschamps
Member of the Montreal Executive Committee responsible for social and community development, family, seniors, youth and the status of women
Incumbent
Assumed office 2012
Preceded by	Jocelyn Ann Campbell (Social and Community Development, Family, and Seniors); Mary Deros (Youth); Helen Fotopulos (Status of Women)
Montreal City Councillor for Ahuntsic
Incumbent
Assumed office 2009
Preceded by	Hasmig Belleli
Personal details
Political party	Projet Montréal

Émilie Thuillier is a politician in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She has served on the Montreal city council since 2009, representing Ahuntsic as a member of Projet Montréal, and has been a member of the Montreal executive committee since November 2012.

Early political career

Thuillier holds a bachelor's degree in Geography from the Université de Montréal and a master's degree in sciences and the environment from the Université du Québec à Montréal.^[1] She became a founding member of Projet Montréal in 2004 while writing her master's thesis on urban sustainable development. Not long thereafter, she was chosen as the party's vice-president.^[2]

She first sought election to the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough council in the 2005 Montreal municipal election, running in the De Lorimier division. The returns office initially declared her elected by twelve votes, but the final scrutiny showed that she was defeated by nine.^[3] Had she won, she would have been only the second representative of her party elected anywhere in the city. After the campaign, she became a leading Projet Montréal spokesperson and press attaché to its leader, Richard Bergeron.^[4]

Thuillier later ran for Montreal city council in a 2008 by-election in Ahuntsic. She finished third against Vision Montreal's Hasmig Belleli.^[5]

City councillor

Thuillier ran in Ahuntsic again in the 2009 municipal election and was elected in a close three-way contest; one of her opponents was former provincial cabinet minister Diane Lemieux. Gérald Tremblay's Union Montreal won a majority on council and served as the governing party for the next three years, initially with Vision Montreal and Projet Montréal as junior coalition partners and later on its own.

Tremblay resigned as mayor in November 2012 amid the backdrop of a serious corruption scandal. He was replaced by Michael Applebaum, who formed a coalition government with representation from all parties on council and some independents. Applebaum announced his executive committee on November 22, 2012, appointing Thuillier to one of two vice-chair positions, with responsibility for social and community development, family, seniors, youth and the status of women.^[6] In June 2013, she helped organize a safety campaign for the benefit of seniors living in social housing.^[7]

Applebaum, in turn, resigned as mayor in June 2013. His successor, Laurent Blanchard, re-appointed Thuillier to the same executive positions.^[8]

By virtue of her position on city council, Thuillier is also a member of the Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough council.

Electoral record

2009 Montreal municipal election results: Councillor, Ahuntsic Party Candidate Total votes % of total votes Projet Montréal Émilie Thuillier 3,484 34.17 Union Montreal Diane Lemieux 3,364 33.00 Vision Montreal Frédéric Lapointe 3,347 32.83 Total valid votes 10,195 100 Source: Election results, 2009, City of Montreal.

Montreal city council by-election, 21 September 2008: Councillor, Ahuntsic Party Candidate Total votes % of total votes Vision Montreal Hasmig Belleli 2,244 36.43 Union Montreal Michel Hamel 2,185 35.48 Projet Montréal Émilie Thuillier 1,652 26.82 Independent Christian Prévost 78 1.27 Total valid votes 6,159 100 Source: Official results - Ahuntsic electoral district, Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough, September 21, 2008, City of Montreal, accessed 19 January 2013.

2005 Montreal municipal election results: Plateau-Mont-Royal borough Councillor, De Lorimier Party Candidate Total votes % of total votes Montreal Island Citizens Union Josée Duplessis 3,002 36.42 Projet Montréal Émilie Thuillier 2,993 36.31 Vision Montreal Huguette Trudel 2,247 27.26 Total valid votes 8,242 100 Source: City of Montreal official results (in French), City of Montreal.

References

1. Madame Émilie Thuillier (municipal biography), City of Montreal, accessed 3 April 2012.
2. Linda Gyulai, "Taking on city hall," Montreal Gazette, 3 June 2006, B1.
3. Jeff Heinrich, "Fotopulos holds on in 3-way battle," Montreal Gazette, 7 November 2005, A7; Andy Riga, "Bourque seeks judicial recount," Montreal Gazette, 9 November 2005, A1.
4. James Mennie, "A good day for politicians to watch backs," Montreal Gazette, 16 March 2006, A6; Linda Gyulai, "Taking on city hall," Montreal Gazette, 3 June 2006, B1.
5. Jason Magder, "St. Léonard welcomes Bissonnet back with open arms; City by-elections. Ahuntsic/Cartierville vote sees tighter result," Montreal Gazette, 22 September 2008, A8.
6. René Bruemmer, "Applebaum delivers promised mix; Executive committee introduced; Vision gets three seats, Union three, Projet two, plus three independents," Montreal Gazette, 23 November 2012, A4.
7. "Safety Campaign Targets Over 10,000 Social Housing Seniors," Canada NewsWire, 14 June 2013.
8. See "Small Steps against Hunger - Children at the heart of mutual help and solidarity actions for needy Montreal families," Canada NewsWire, 4 July 2013.

External links

• Municipal biography (in French), City of Montreal