Jean Doré

Background

Doré studied law at the Université de Montréal, where he was president of the student union from 1967 to 1968. He received a Master's Degree of Political Science from McGill University. In the early seventies Doré became a founding member of the progressive Montreal Citizens' Movement (MCM), also known as Rassemblement des citoyens et citoyennes de Montréal (RCM) in French, where he started as treasurer and eventually became party leader in 1982.

From 1972 to 1975, Doré was director of the Fédération des associations d'économie familiale. He hosted a consumer affairs show on the Radio-Quebec public television network. He was briefly a press attaché for René Lévesque who would later become Premier of Quebec. Prior to his mayoral tenure, Doré worked as a lawyer for the Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN) - the Confederation of National Trade Unions (CNTU).

Leader of the Opposition

In 1982 Doré was selected as the MCM candidate for Mayor of Montreal. He finished second with 36% of the vote, against incumbent Jean Drapeau (48%). Fifteen candidates of the MCM were elected to City Hall. Doré won a by-election in 1984 and became city councillor for the district of Saint-Jean-Baptiste, as well as Leader of the Opposition.

Mayor of Montreal

In 1986, Doré won a landslide victory to the mayoral office with 68% of the vote. 55 MCM candidates out of 58 were elected. He was re-elected in 1990 with 59% of the vote.

City Councillor Marvin Rotrand said the Doré era was most notable for a more democratic manner of administration than that of Drapeau.

As mayor, he oversaw the renewal of the Old Port and the parks and beaches of Île Ste-Hélène. He also inaugurated Place Émilie-Gamelin (known informally as Berri Square), Place Charles de Gaulle and the archaeology museum at Pointe-à-Callière.

Under Doré, 150 kilometres of bike paths were constructed, as well as several parks and public beaches, including on Île-Notre-Dame the Plage Jean-Doré.

During his administration, the first public commissions of city council were established and the city's first master urban plan was adopted.

However, Doré was also criticized for an ineffective style of government, including lax policies toward city employees, as well as an unwillingness to pay down the massive debt left by the projects of former mayor Jean Drapeau. As well, some left-wing members of the MCM, including councillors Sam Boskey and Marvin Rotrand, quit his party after the Overdale scandal to form the Democratic Coalition of Montreal (DCM), also known as Coalition démocratique de Montréal (CDM) in French.

First political retirement

In 1994 Doré received only 32% of the vote and was defeated by Vision Montreal candidate Pierre Bourque (47%). He could have taken a seat on the city council after winning his election in the district of Plateau-Mont-Royal with 46% of the ballots, but retired in favor of running mate Thérèse Daviau.

Attempt at a comeback

Doré tried to make a political comeback in 1998. He founded Équipe Montréal (Team Montreal), a new party, and ran for mayor. However, he gathered only 10% of the vote and finished fourth. Two candidates of TM were elected to the city council, but they eventually sat as Independents, and the party ceased to exist shortly before the 2001 election.

Post politics

Doré left public life and became senior director of business development for the central Caisse Desjardins.

Health

In 2014, Doré announced that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He died on 15 June 2015.