New political party formed in Montreal: Team Denis Coderre

Liberal MP Denis Coderre answers a question following caucus meetings on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Wednesday October 31, 2012. (Adrian Wyld / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

MONTREAL—How many Denis Coderres live in Quebec?

Responding to reports that the political party name “Equipe Denis Coderre pour Montreal” was registered with Elections Quebec on Friday, the presumptive candidate for mayor had a quick answer: at least eight.

“You have a number at the end of your health insurance card that shows how many people have your name in the province, mine says 08,” the Liberal MP said on Friday. “I think I know three of them.”

Coderre, a veteran federal politician in northern Montreal, is expected to announce his candidacy for mayor on May 16. Despite Friday’s filing, he’s still keeping mum on whether he intends to run.

A former immigration minister, Coderre flirted with Montreal’s top job last November at a spaghetti supper in his Bourassa riding. However, he stayed clear of officially announcing his intention to run.

While the make-up of Coderre’s future party is unknown, he has close political allies in Villeray borough mayor Anie Samson and Montreal-North borough mayor Gilles Deguire.

To file for the creation of a new political party, Coderre would have had to provide a list of 100 names to Elections Quebec. That list of names isn’t being made public; however the Director General for Elections is checking address to ensure that the names are real.

With the slow disintegration of former Mayor Gerald Tremblay’s party, Union Montreal, a number of new democratic ventures are expected. So far, no other party has filed for creation yet in Montreal.