The only opposition elected official in Longueuil, Jacques Lemire, lost his right to sit on the municipal council because he “did not produce the party’s annual financial report within the required timeframe”. In Quebec, municipal parties had until 1er April to do so.
“I inform you that Jacques Lemire, of the Longueuil Ensemble party, loses the right to attend, as a member, the meetings of the council of the municipality as of April 13, 2023, since his official representative, Jean- Bernard Aurouze, did not produce the party’s annual financial report within the required deadlines, ”indicates the director of finances and treasurer of the City of Longueuil, Sylvie Toupin, in a letter sent to elected officials Thursday at the start of the day.
Mme Toupin points out that “the loss of this right entails, moreover, the loss of the right to attend, as a member, meetings of councils, committees or commissions”. Fines ranging from $100 to $3,000 are provided for an elected official who appears in an instance without having the right to do so. In the event of a repeat offence, the fine can range from $200 to $6,000.
Moreover, under Article 512 of the Municipal Elections and Referendums Act (LERM), “the person who has lost the right to attend the sessions loses […] that of receiving the remuneration or the allowance provided for each session which she cannot attend, ”writes the lawyer again.
A deadline
The spokesperson for the Chief Electoral Officer of Quebec (DGEQ), Julie St-Arnaud Drolet, confirms that “the date of submission of the annual financial report by the official representative is 1er April of each year, for the preceding financial year”.
“At the municipal level, this report must be submitted to the treasurer of the municipality, who makes a first examination before sending us the data for verification purposes,” she maintains, without offering any further comments on the particular case of Ms. . The sights.
An experienced elected municipal official, Jacques Lemire has been a councilor for the district of Laflèche, in the borough of Saint-Hubert, for more than 25 years now. He also kept his district with a strong majority in the last elections, ie 50.77% of the votes.
Since 2021, however, all the rest of the council has not been in its favor: Coalition Longueuil, led by Catherine Fournier, has 13 council seats, in addition to the town hall. The three other elected officials – those of Option Greenfield Park: Sylvain Joly, Susan Rasmussen and Éric Normandin – for their part support the party of Mme Fournier.
Shortly after the election, Mr. Lemire had also promised to work “in a different way” and to have a “constructive” approach. “I will be vigilant to ensure that we take steps forward, every day. I wish us a beautiful four years to everyone, in harmony and cooperation, ”he argued.