(Quebec) An opposition councilor accuses an elected official from Bruno Marchand’s team of having intimidated him two weeks ago in the corridors of Quebec city hall, by garlanding him then giving him in particular a chest shot.
“If we tolerate this, what’s the next step? Where are we going? This is a chest shot, what will it be next time? A punch ? », asked the councilor for the Chute-Montmorency-Seigneurial district, Stevens Mélançon, at a press conference on Thursday.
Mayor Marchand’s team must react in the afternoon. But this clash is the latest which demonstrates a deterioration of the climate between municipal elected officials in the capital.
The city’s general manager also summoned representatives of the four political parties represented on the council to an emergency meeting at 3 p.m. Thursday “in order to take stock of security and the work climate within the political teams at City Hall “.
The day before, Wednesday, another elected official from the opposition had denounced a toxic climate at city hall. Alicia Despins even filed a complaint with the Quebec Municipal Commission. She said that the straw that broke the camel’s back for her was an altercation between two elected officials. She referred, without detailing it, to the incident denounced by Mr. Mélançons on Thursday.
This whole affair would have arisen from certain comments and “likes” made by Mr. Mélançons on Facebook statuses of the ex of an advisor to the mayor’s party, Quebec Strong and Proud (QFF). The said advisor complained about it and Mr. Mélançons decided to delete these “likes” and these comments.
But according to what the opposition elected official explained to the media, Councilor Steeve Verret, of QFF, approached him at the end of the municipal council meeting on February 6.
“Mr. Verret begins to verbally intimidate me. He says Facebook is going to have to stop… I tell him listen if you’re not able to take the heat of the kitchen, don’t go into the kitchen,” said the elected official from Équipe priority Québec.
The tone rose then Mr. Verret allegedly punched him in the chest. “It’s exactly Chester. He entered me two inches from my face. I said that, it’s bullying. »
Apologies requested from the mayor
Quebec first made a request for access to information to obtain the videotape from a camera at city hall. The party also requested a letter of apology from Mr. Verret, to bury the matter and move on. The letter of apology never came and the second opposition therefore chose to unpack the matter on Thursday.
“This behavior was condoned by Bruno Marchand’s office, because the letter of apology never came,” accuses Mr. Mélançon.
Its leader, Patrick Paquet, demands an apology from the mayor of Quebec. “They are the ones who boast of doing politics differently, but they do politics the same as the others, they do nothing better than the others,” he said. We are asking for decorum, more seriousness at the municipal council. »
Mr. Paquet, however, clarified that he had never experienced acts of intimidation from Bruno Marchand. ” Never never. We’re going to clear this up. »
Members of the second opposition were questioned about their share of responsibility in the toxic climate, whether through publications on Facebook or statements.
Recently, to denounce the price paid by the City for an event organized by BLEUFEU – which notably produces the Quebec Summer Festival – an elected official from Équipe priority Québec affirmed that the spouse of one of the Marchand administration worked for BLEUFEU .
“No, that’s politics. Intimidation is when you go to chester a member of the council,” replied the head of Quebec Priority Team. “Not just anyone can be in politics. You have to have a tough rind. »