Nicolas Tétrault

Nicolas Tétrault
Montreal City Councillor
Plateau-Mont-Royal
In office
2001–2005
Preceded by André Cardinal
Succeeded by Helen Fotopulos
Personal details
Political party Vision Montréal, MICU
Residence Montreal, Quebec

Nicolas Tétrault is a politician and entrepreneur in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He served on the Montreal City Council from 2001 to 2005, initially as a member of Vision Montreal (VM) and later for the rival Montreal Island Citizens Union (MICU). Tétrault has also sought election to the Canadian House of Commons and the National Assembly of Quebec. Tétrault has been active real estate mostly in the province of Quebec but also in New-Brunswick, Ontario and Alberta. He also owns majority control of a Montreal based real estate agency, Royal Lepage du Quartier.

Early political campaigns

Tétrault sought election to the National Assembly of Quebec in the 1994 Quebec provincial election as a Parti Québécois (PQ) candidate in the extremely safe Liberal seat of Robert-Baldwin in west-end Montreal. The youngest candidate in the province at nineteen years of age, he was a CEGEP student during the election.[1] Although it was generally recognized that he had no chance of winning, Tétrault's campaign received a fair amount of media attention.[2] Profiled by the Montreal Gazette in August 1994, he described himself as "the kind of nationalist who is open to discussion."[3] He finished a distant second against Liberal Pierre Marsan on election day.

Tétrault later ran as a Bloc Québécois (BQ) candidate in the Montreal-area riding of Brossard—La Prairie in the 2000 Canadian federal election. He was twenty-five years old during the campaign and operated his own marketing company.[4] In an interview with the Gazette, he said that Canada should adopt a new model of politics and economics based on that of the European Community.[5] He finished second against Liberal Party of Canada incumbent Jacques Saada.

In 2002, Tétrault described the older wing of the Parti Québécois as having lost touch with modern Quebec.[6] Two years later, he said that many people of his generation favoured "sovereignty if necessary but not necessarily sovereignty."[7]

City councillor

Tétrault was elected to the Montreal city council in the 2001 municipal election as a Vision Montreal candidate in the Plateau-Mont-Royal division. During the campaign, he called for a speed limit reduction in the Plateau, increased security in parks and at metro stations, more co-op housing and support for local artists, and more parking spots for businesses.[8] Vision Montreal lost the election to Gérald Tremblay's Montreal Island Citizens Union, and Tétrault served as a member of the official opposition. By virtue of his city council position, he also served on the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough council.

When Pierre Bourque resigned as Vision Montreal leader to run for the National Assembly of Quebec in 2003, Tétrault said that he respected Bourque's decision but did not approve of it.[9] He added that he would "have to look at the options" as to whether he would remain with the party.[10]

During the 2003 provincial election, Tétrault criticized the Quebec Liberal Party for its pledge to permit referendums on municipal demergers. He argued that the pledge would create instability for municipal government on the Island of Montreal, where several municipalities had recently been merged to create a united city.[11] Later in the same year, he supported Mayor Tremblay's compromise plan to devolve some powers to the city's borough councils.[12]

Tétrault resigned from Vision Montreal to sit as an independent on March 4, 2004, and joined MICU on October 26 of the same year.[13] In the 2005 municipal election, he ran for re-election in the Louis-Riel division of the Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough and was narrowly defeated by Vision Montreal incumbent Richer Dompierre. Early reports suggested that Tétrault had won by twelve votes, but a more thorough scrutiny confirmed Dompierre as the winner.[14]

Private career

Tétrault has a Master of Arts degree in Political Science from the Université de Montréal.[15] After leaving city council, he co-founded Groupe T & T Media with Paul Tietolman.[16] In 2011, Mr. Rajiv Pancholy, former CEO of Microcell Connexions, joined the group of Tietolman Tetrault as a partner and shareholder and formed 7954689 Canada Inc. better known as Tietolman Tetrault Pancholy Media (TTP Media).

In 2013, the group was granted three licenses to launch new AM radio stations in the Montreal market: English and French talk radio stations and a French sports radio station. As of August 2016, however, all three stations remain unlaunched, the French sports radio license has expired, and both of the other two licenses are also set to expire in November if they have not launched by then.

Electoral record

2005 Montreal municipal election results: Councillor, Louis-Riel
2001 Montreal municipal election results: Councillor, Plateau-Mont-Royal
Canadian federal election, 2000: Brossard—La Prairie
Party Candidate Votes%∆%Expenditures
LiberalJacques Saada 26,806 52.69 – $63,331
Bloc QuébécoisNicolas Tétrault 16,758 32.94 $66,058
AllianceRichard Bélisle 2,973 5.84 $8,956
     Progressive Conservative Sylvain St-Louis 2,783 5.47 $50
New DemocraticClémence Provencher 852 1.67 none listed
Natural LawSylvia Larrass 528 1.04 none listed
Marxist–LeninistNormand Chouinard 172 0.34 $10
Total valid votes/Expenditures limit 50,872 100.00 $69,269
Total rejected ballots 1,067
Turnout 51,939 66.13
Electors on the lists 78,535
Sources: Official Results, Elections Canada and Financial Returns, Elections Canada.
Quebec general election, 1994: Robert-Baldwin
Party Candidate Votes%∆%
LiberalPierre Marsan 29,865 82.98 +36.93
Parti QuébécoisNicolas Tétrault 3,541 9.84 −3.09
EqualityBart Sellitto 969 2.69 −38.33
Action démocratiqueMario Pilote Jr. 909 2.53 –
CANADA!Harry Polansky 364 1.01 –
Natural LawRuby Finkelstein 123 0.34 –
Republic of CanadaRobert Charles 120 0.33 –
InnovatorMartin Leduc 99 0.28 –
Total valid votes 35,990 99.20–
Rejected and declined votes 2910.80–
Turnout 36,281 85.17+10.50
Electors on the lists 42,600––
Source: Official Results, Le Directeur général des élections du Québec.

References

  1. ↑ "Elkas wins Liberal nod in Robert Baldwin," Montreal Gazette, 7 April 1994, E8; Anne Sutherland, "Liberals run parachuted star in Robert Baldwin stronghold," Montreal Gazette, 1 September 1994, A9.
  2. ↑ See for instance "PQ names candidates," Montreal Gazette, 21 April 1994, H7 and "Parti Quebecois Prepares for Victory," Saturday Report - CBC Television, 7 May 1994.
  3. ↑ Lisa Fitterman, "Teen candidate thinks of putting it all down in writing," Montreal Gazette, 13 August 1994, A10.
  4. ↑ Debbie Parkes, "Liberal Saada holds edge over Bloc," Montreal Gazette, 28 November 2000, B11.
  5. ↑ Nicolas Van Praet, "Conservatives are wild cards: Liberals, BQ square off in 2 South Shore ridings where Tory voters could tip balance," Montreal Gazette, 13 November 2000, A12.
  6. ↑ Philip Authier, "Playing politics at young age," Montreal Gazette, 3 January 2002, A10.
  7. ↑ Philip Authier, Kevin Dougherty and Mike De Souza, "Report stings - but Landry 'delighted': Young MNAs tell PQ to get with the times," Montreal Gazette, 24 September 2004, A1.
  8. ↑ Philip Authier, "Playing politics at young age," Montreal Gazette, 3 January 2002, A10.
  9. ↑ Philip Authier, "Bourque leaps to ADQ party: Ex-mayor resigns Vision leadership," Montreal Gazette, 1 February 2003, A1.
  10. ↑ Linda Gyulai, "Vision left floundering: Ex-mayor's party might lose more," Montreal Gazette, 1 February 2003, A2.
  11. ↑ Angus Loten, "Mergers must stand," Montreal Gazette, 8 April 2003, A8.
  12. ↑ Bindu Suresh, "Mayor's power-shift plan generates mixed reviews," Montreal Gazette, 11 August 2003, A7.
  13. ↑ "Plateau councillor quits party, sits as independent," Montreal Gazette, 5 March 2004, A6; "Tetrault joins mayor's party," Montreal Gazette, 27 October 2004, A7.
  14. ↑ Brenda Branswell, "Montreal Island Is Tremblay Territory," Montreal Gazette, 8 November 2005, A3; Andy Riga, "New winners declared in two boroughs," Montreal Gazette, 9 November 2005.
  15. ↑ Nicolas Tétrault: Québec Political Affairs, Institute for Public Affairs of Montreal, accessed 26 November 2011.
  16. ↑ Paul Delean, "Corus radio stations draw better offer," Montreal Gazette, 9 June 2010, B3.
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