Daniel Boucher (politician)

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Daniel Boucher is a politician from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He served on the Montreal city council from 1994 to 1998, initially as a member of Vision Montréal and later as an independent. He also sought election to the Canadian House of Commons and the Quebec National Assembly.

Early life and career
Boucher worked as a bus driver for a seniors’ residence in the early 1990s. A Quebec sovereigntist, he was an early supporter of the Bloc Québécois in federal politics.

Early bids for public office
While supporting the Bloc at the federal level, Boucher ran as a New Democratic Party of Quebec candidate in a 1992 provincial by-election in Anjou. The Quebec NDP was not affiliated with the federal NDP, and he finished a distant third. He later ran as a Bloc Québécois candidate in the 1993 federal election in Papineau–Saint-Michel, finishing second to Liberal André Ouellet. He was 36 years old at the time and identified as a social worker.

Municipal politician
Boucher was elected to the Montreal city council in the 1994 municipal election as a Vision Montréal candidate in the Jean‑Rivard division, defeating incumbent Micheline Daigle. He served two years as a backbench supporter of Bourque’s administration and chaired the city’s finance and economic development committee. In 1996 he shelved a proposal to tax religious properties, saying he would wait for direction from the provincial government.

In June 1996, in an interview with the Montreal Gazette, Boucher said Vision Montréal had concerns about internal management and that too much power rested with the mayor and the Montreal executive committee. Ten days later, he and fellow councillor Hubert Deraspe left Vision Montréal to sit as independents, saying the party was “a party in name only.” They later accused Mayor Bourque of trying to buy support with a council pay increase and tried to persuade other Vision councillors to defect. In January 1998, Boucher introduced a motion of censure against Bourque and executive committee chair Noushig Eloyan.

Also in January 1998, Boucher joined an informal opposition group called Coalition for Montréal’s Future, led by Sammy Forcillo, and served as the group’s critic for municipal services, focusing on sports and leisure.

Boucher ran as an independent in the 1998 municipal election and lost to Vision Montréal candidate Nicole Roy-Arcelin. He attempted a return in the 2001 election as a candidate for Gérald Tremblay’s Montreal Island Citizens’ Union, but was defeated by Vision candidate Frank Venneri.

Electoral record (highlights)
- 1994 Montreal municipal election: Elected as Vision Montréal candidate in Jean‑Rivard.
- 1998 Montreal municipal election: Ran as an independent and was defeated.
- 1993 Canadian federal election (Papineau–Saint‑Michel): Bloc Québécois candidate, finished second to Liberal André Ouellet.
- 1992 Quebec provincial by-election (Anjou): New Democratic Party of Quebec candidate, finished third.