Emilie Thuillier

jd_It was in 2005, while Émilie Thuillier was studying for a master's degree in environmental sciences at UQAM that she first became interested in municipal politics. Her family, who immigrated from France, were not especially political and it was her curiosity that led her to participate in the drafting of Projet Montréal’s program and from there her involvement in municipal politics grew. Émilie moved on to become political attaché for the party while holding a position at the party's headquarters. In 2009, she won her seat as city councillor for Ahuntsic and was then elected mayor of the borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville in 2017.
Émilie is a geographer by training and this helps her in her day to day. For her, a borough is a territory, a population that lives there and its services. Among other things, her role is to plan and organise the borough’s development and mobility to improve her resident’s quality of life. In addition to her current duties on the city’s executive committee, her jump from councillor to mayor also means four times more territory and people to serve.
Despite this busy schedule, Emilie privileges a personal approach and tries to respond personally to as many people as she can. Meeting with community organizations, economic actors, institutions and citizens that work toward making a difference in their neighbourhoods is what motivates Emilie every day to create a greener, more equitable and more functional city for her children and future generations.

It is no coincidence that Emilie’s two children are exactly four years apart and timed with municipal elections! Emilie’s first born came 14 months after the 2009 election and having experienced first hand the challenges of a newborn and work, since municipal councillors didn’t have any parental leave, Emilie has championed for this cause. In 2016, the Montreal City Council introduced parental leave for its elected officials for the very first time and in January 2020, Émilie put in place a program for elected officials taking time off as part of a parental leave.
If asked about her proudest accomplishment, she would answer Ahunstic-Cartierville’s strategic plan. This document, drafted conjointly with elected officials and the public service, is a user-friendly plan with clear and concrete borough objectives that serve as a basis for the mandate and helps them prioritize. This plan is available to all and was adopted publicly by the borough council and every year, objectives are measured and reported on and results are provided to the public. Emilie is credited for implementing this clear and transparent process which makes it possible to carry out structural projects that improve the quality of life for those who live in her borough.