Marie Plourde

Marie Plourde is a politician, media personality, journalist, and occasional actress in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She has served on the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough council since 2013 as a member of Projet Montréal.

Marie Plourde
Le Plateau-Mont-Royal borough councillor for Mile-End
Incumbent
Assumed office 2013
Preceded by	Richard Ryan
Personal details
Political party	Projet Montréal
Profession	Media personality, journalist

Early life

Plourde was born in Grand-Mère, Quebec (later Shawinigan). She later moved to Montreal to study urban planning.[1]

Media personality and journalist

Plourde began her media career as a Musique Plus veejay from 1989 to 1993.[2][3] Later, after a brief stint as host of the Radio-Canada culture program La Ruée vers l'art,[4] she became a television columnist for the tabloid Le Journal de Montréal from 1996 to 2006.[5][6]

In 1997, Plourde strongly criticized a Public Works Canada television program entitled Services compris that promoted the services of the Canadian federal government. She described it as "an insidious infomercial ... in which federal employees are depicted as superheroes who have come to our rescue from Ottawa."[7]

Plourde hosted the cultural television program Flash in 2001 as a temporary replacement for Patricia Paquin.[8] Later in the decade, she hosted a Canal Vie program called Une chance qu'on s'aime,[9] a literary program called Sous les jaquettes,[10] and the TQS reality television show Loft Story.[11][12] She also branched out into radio, hosting a program on Rythme FM.[13] A Montreal Gazette article in 2008 described her as a "ubiquitous media celeb[rity]."[14]

Actress

Plourde appeared in the film Le cas Roberge in 2008, playing a television journalist.[15][16]

Politician

Plourde joined Projet Montréal in 2013 was elected to the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough council for the Mile End division in the 2013 Montreal municipal election. A Postmedia article written during the campaign described her as a star candidate for her party.[17] Projet Montréal emerged from the election as the official opposition at the city level and won every seat on the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough council.

In December 2013, Plourde was appointed to the board of directors of Société de transport de Montréal (STM).[18] The following year, she helped organize a new open-air market in Mile End known as the Marché des Possibles, inspired by Pop Montreal.[19][20]

She was re-elected in the 2017 municipal election, in which Projet Montréal won the mayoral contest, a majority of seats at city hall, and, once again, all seats on the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough council. On November 27, 2017, she was appointed as chair of the city-level committee on transportation and public works,[21] as well as being re-appointed to the board of STM.[22]

Electoral record

2017 Montreal municipal election: Borough councillor, Mile-End
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Projet Montréal	Marie Plourde (incumbent)	7,699	76.49	+25.09
	Équipe Denis Coderre	Jean David Prophète	2,367	23.51	+12.49
Total valid votes			10,066	100	–
Total rejected ballots			261	–	–
Turnout			10,327	48.30	-2.73
Electors on the lists			21,380	–	–
Source: Election results, 2017, City of Montreal.

2013 Montreal municipal election: Borough councillor, Mile-End
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Projet Montréal	Marie Plourde	5,447	51.40	+2.88
	Vrai changement	David Côté	2,116	19.97
	Coalition Montréal	Stéphanie Grondin	1,609	15.18	-13.33
	Équipe Denis Coderre	Sandenga Yeba	1,168	11.02
	Intégrité Montréal	Joaquin Olivo Rodriguez	257	2.43
Total valid votes			10,597	100	–
Total rejected ballots			285	–	–
Turnout			10,882	51.03	+8.43
Electors on the lists			21,326	–	–
Source: Election results, 2013, City of Montreal.

References

1. "Marie Plourde se retrouve cet automne à la radio et à la télévision," Le Presse Canadienne, 19 September 2006.
2. Larry Leblanc, "Diverse programming adds up for Quebec's MusiquePlus," Billboard, 18 April 1992, p. 36.
3. Marie Plourde, Projet Montréal, accessed 27 November 2017.
4. Andre Picard, "No more Mr. Nice Guy in the Premier's office," Globe and Mail, 13 January 1994, A21.
5. "The deaths of Mr. Lauzon and Ms. Tougas draw emotional goodbyes," Globe and Mail, 13 August 1997, A23.
6. "Marie Plourde se retrouve cet automne à la radio et à la télévision," Le Presse Canadienne, 19 September 2006.
7. "Quebec commentators take Ottawa and the RCMP to task," Globe and Mail, 9 January 1997, A15.
8. Rollande Parent, "TQS, "le mouton noir de la télé", mise sur des valeurs sûres cette année," La Presse Canadienne, 16 March 2001.
9. Danile L. Gauthier, "Contre toute attente, Bernard Landry donne dans la télé-réalité," La Presse Canadienne, 9 September 2003.
10. Danile L. Gauthier, "Dès lundi, France Beaudoin anime les soirées estivales à la SRC," La Presse Canadienne, 10 May 2005.
11. Gaetan L. Charlebois, "TQS stays naughty and nice: Biggest changes are news and logo," Montreal Gazette, 16 August 2006, D5.
12. Gaetan L. Charlebois, "TVA's Les Soeurs Elliot has warmth and appeal," Montreal Gazette, 13 October 2007.
13. "Véronique Cloutier planche sur un concept d'émission pour 2007," La Presse Canadienne, 26 September 2006.
14. Brendan Kelly, "Le cas Roberge is an Internet hit gone long," Montreal Gazette, 15 August 2008, D3.
15. "Début du tournage du film 'Le cas Roberge'," La Presse Canadienne - Le fil radio, 25 March 2008.
16. Brendan Kelly, "Le cas Roberge is an Internet hit gone long," Montreal Gazette, 15 August 2008, D3.
17. Monique Beaudin and Michelle Lalonde, "Montreal's new balance of power will be known in a few hours," Postmedia Breaking News, 3 November 2013.
18. "Composition of the STM Board of Directors", Société de transport de Montréal, 2 December 2013, accessed 29 November 2017.
19. Julian Armstrong, "Winemakers offer tastings and tours of vineyards in Eastern Townships," Postmedia Breaking News, 17 June 2014.
20. T'cha Dunlevy, "POP Montreal is a city unto itself," Montreal Gazette, 13 September 2014, H2.
21. Rene Bruemmer, "Montreal holds first city council meeting with Valérie Plante as mayor", Montreal Gazette, 27 November 2017, accessed 27 November 2017.
22. Romain Schué, "Philippe Schnobb remains at the head of the STM", Métro, 27 November 2017, accessed 28 November 2017.