“If Quebec City makes the democratic choice to move forward with a project like the tramway, we will listen to the people of Quebec City,” stated Hugo Langlois, Leadership Québec candidate from the Vanier-Duberger district. “We made mistakes, that’s true, but we have to put things into perspective.
An election campaign is never simple, it’s never easy,” added Langlois, a former Salut Bonjour host and former Conservative candidate for Pierre Poilievre’s party. Sam Hamad’s party, Leadership Québec, was competitive in one of 21 Quebec City districts at 9:10 p.m. Stevens Mélançon ran in La Chute-Montmorency–Seigneurial for the party.
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Leadership Québec was created six months before the municipal elections. The party had three councillors at the campaign’s start, all defectors from other parties. The 67-year-old Hamad planned no running mates in districts, focusing solely on the mayoral race.
An initial poll conducted one year before the election showed Hamad with 37 per cent support compared to 39 per cent for Marchand.
Former Liberal minister’s campaign marked by multiple controversies
Hamad’s campaign faced multiple controversies during the Quebec City mayoral race. A press conference was interrupted by a children’s park splash pad at the campaign’s beginning. Television cameras captured the scene, which went viral on social media.
Hamad became involved in disputes with other mayoral candidates, including Claude Villeneuve, leader of Québec d’abord, who accused him of threatening his daughters during a private discussion. Hamad vigorously denied the accusation.
The former minister clashed with Lachance during a final coalition attempt between Leadership Québec and Respect citoyens. The dispute resulted in public accusations, with Hamad claiming Lachance offered him the position of city manager if he withdrew from the race.
Sam Hamad’s early life, education
Sam Hamad was born in Damascus, Syria, before immigrating to Quebec City, where he built both his education and political foundation.
He earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in civil engineering from Université Laval, followed by a master’s in management from the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières.
Originally named Samer Hamed-Allah, he adopted the name “Sam Hamad” after settling in Quebec, explaining that “Samer” too closely resembled the French phrase his mother (“his mother”)
Leadership Québec faced campaign errors and candidate departures
Leadership Québec was criticized for illustrating Quebec City traffic congestion with a photo of Montreal’s Décarie Expressway. The party was also accused of creating its campaign slogan using artificial intelligence.
Two days before the vote, Hamad underwent emergency surgery on his right eye for a detached retina. The operation raised questions about the candidate’s ability to appear before supporters.
Leadership Québec lost two candidates during the campaign. Daniel Moisan withdrew due to the toxic campaign atmosphere. Napoléon Woo was expelled from the party for stating that homeless individuals were taking advantage of the system to receive free food, shelter, and clothing.
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At the time of writing, Woo, owner of the Wok N Roll restaurant, received just over 3 per cent of the vote as an independent candidate in the Saint-Roch–Saint-Sauveur district.