[4] The MSC was the dominant political force in the MCSC during this period, and Deschamps was aligned with the commission's leadership.
In June 1986, a Quebec Superior Court judge questioned the "motives and objectivity" of three school commissioners, including Deschamps, who had voted to switch construction contracts from two firms to three other companies.
Vision Montreal won a majority of council seats in this election, and Deschamps served as a backbench supporter of Pierre Bourque's administration.
Beginning in January of that year, Bourque's leadership came under serious threat from dissident members of Vision Montreal; had he been forced to resign, Deschamps would have ascended to the position of mayor on a temporary basis.
Vision Montreal won a second consecutive majority in the 1998 election, and Deschamps continued to serve as a backbench supporter of Bourque's administration.