Denis Coderre video sparks criticism

A cellphone video shot last week of mayoral candidate Denis Coderre making anelection pitch to members ofOutremonts Hasidic community is generating reaction from rival candidates.

The video shows Coderre trying to convince members of Montreal'sHasidic Jewish community at a meeting to vote for him.

Arent you fed up with all the one-way streets theyre changing all the time? he asks the audience.

If you want my friendship, if you want my support, dont divide the vote, he continues in the video.

I dont need division. Im fighting right now against the charter because theyre dividing the people, and its diversion.

At one point Coderreturns his attention to the person filming his remarks and says, "Youre not recording, eh?

Just before 9 a.m. Friday, Coderre told a journalist from a French-language network that the video was nothing to be embarrassed about.

He said he was simply speaking to a cultural community to try to drum up support for his candidates.

Alex Werzberger, the president of the Coalition of Outremont Hasidic Organizations,said he was at the meeting.

He said he didn't see anything wrong with Coderre's talk.

It was simply a plea for people to vote for his candidates. He came twice to the community this was the second time around, and he came just to bolster his candidates, Werzberger said.

When asked by CBC Daybreak Montreal's host Mike Finnerty whether the Hasidic community in Outremont intended to vote en bloc for any particular candidate, Werzberger said, "We definitely want DenisCoderre to become mayor.

Mindy Pollak, a Hasidic woman running for borough council for Projet Montreal inOutremont, may or may not have her community's support.

Werzberger said they were "still trying to decide" whether to vote for Pollak.

tienne Coutu, whos running for mayor of Outremont with Projet Montreal, said the video shows an attempt to blackmail the community for votes.

Mr. Coderre should notice that were not in the Duplessis era anymore, in the time that people who voted the right way could have their road paved, he said.