The Liberal Party and Québec solidaire are calling for a government commission “on civility within municipal councils” to be held, following the resignation of the mayor of Gatineau, France Bélisle, and the wave of departures of elected officials.
“We would like to offer […] that the Land Planning Commission urgently take up a mandate for initiative on civility within municipal councils and, more broadly, on the deterioration of respect for elected officials at all levels of government and issues related to harassment and threats,” write liberals Michelle Setlakwe and Enrico Ciccone.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Liberal MP Michelle Setlakwe
In a letter sent Friday to the president of the Regional Planning Commission, Sébastien Schneeberger, they affirm that “the news of recent months constantly reminds us of the difficulties experienced by elected officials, particularly at the municipal level, who exert constant pressure and forces them to evolve in a deleterious climate which undermines their mental and physical health.”
The deputies from Outremont and Marquette say they are ready to sit on the subject next week, despite the parliamentary break. At Québec solidaire, the MP for Taschereau, Etienne Grandmont, also requested on Friday that the same commission hold “a working session to assess the possibility of taking up an initiative mandate relating to the increase in resignations of municipal elected officials” .
The Press reported Friday that one in 10 Quebec municipal elected officials has left office since their election in the fall of 2021. In total, nearly 800 of them have left politics in less than three years.
“This series of resignations has a real impact on the economic development of cities and regions, not to mention that, as a result, it is our local democracies that are being undermined,” believes Mr. Grandmont. According to the two liberals, this data illustrates “a worrying phenomenon, especially since there are significant issues linked to the lack of candidates for several elective positions in our municipalities.”
All this comes as the mayor of Gatineau, France Bélisle, announced her resignation Thursday in order to preserve her health, citing a difficult political climate in her city and elsewhere. His decision caused a shock wave in the municipal world.
An obstacle for succession
Mme Setlakwe and Mr. Ciccone believe that the deterioration of the working climate of elected officials is a bulwark “against the efforts made to attract a diversity of new candidates for elective positions”, including young people and women, the latter being more targeted by remarks online haters.
Their request aims “so that parliamentarians can have a portrait of the current situation, know the government’s current initiatives to counter these phenomena, learn about best practices in this area and propose additional actions,” they list.
“Municipal elected officials have great responsibilities, but unequal human and material resources. […] Their working conditions and salaries can also sometimes be an obstacle to their retention, in particular the lack of access to parental leave, which particularly affects women, affirms Mr. Grandmont. It is clear that we need a strategy to promote retention. »
The Liberals propose to hear the Minister of Municipal Affairs, Andrée Laforest, and the Minister of Families, Suzanne Roy, but also the representatives of the Quebec Municipal Commission, the Union of Municipalities of Quebec and the Fédération québécoise des municipalities, as well as the mayors of the ten largest cities in Quebec and the former mayors of Gatineau and Chapais, France Bélisle and Isabelle Lessard.
Quebec does not close the door
Called to react, the office of the Minister of Municipal Affairs, Andrée Laforest, indicated that it will let the parliamentarians sitting on the regional planning commission “deal with the question”. “We cannot assume their decision. In any case, the minister intends to take action on this issue as soon as her next omnibus bill,” said the press secretary, Élodie Masson.
On X, Mme Laforest confirmed having asked the regional directorates of his ministry to make recommendations and “to communicate quickly with all the municipalities in their territory to inquire about their situation and reiterate their services.”
“Across Quebec, [directions régionales] are always available to support municipalities, for example by offering support on the roles and responsibilities of elected officials, human resources management, municipal financing or ethics and professional conduct,” she mentioned, by specifying these bodies “can also provide more sustained support”.
With Isabelle Ducas, The Press