Here is part of my story, that of a young woman environmentalist who became a municipal councilor at the age of 31 in the town of Saint-Sauveur, driven by the hope of improving the future of future generations. Despite my initial motivation, my political experience was marked by disappointments and exhausted energy to the point of resignation, revealing a reality that is darker and more complex than it seems.
Why the municipal “bibitte”? Basically, I was frustrated and disappointed with the majority of our politicians, probably like a crowd of Quebec citizens. This was especially the case near my home, in the municipal “bibitte”. However, the municipal world was not unknown to me, as a former employee in various cities.
I said to myself: “As long as we’re complaining about municipal politics, we might as well try to change it first. If it doesn’t work well enough, then I’ll really have the right to complain! »
So, it was in 2021 that I had the crazy desire to try my luck in the municipal elections. I chose to ally myself with a political party and had the chance to be elected part-time municipal councilor in November 2021.
Why two years and not four years?
The year 2022 was the most pleasant in a majority party, while the mayor, re-elected for his third political mandate, was in the minority. However, the internal tensions that arose between the members of the municipal council had impactful repercussions on me, especially from the end of 2022. After discussions with numerous elected officials, mainly in the Union of Municipalities du Québec (UMQ), unfortunately, I noticed that my situation was not unique.
It was in April 2023 that I made the big decision to leave my political party in order, as an independent advisor, to have more freedom to work on the positive changes that I wanted to make from the beginning.
However, the day following my decision, the Quebec Municipal Commission contacted me to question me about various complaints related to elected officials. Following this confidential investigation which lasted several months, I felt that the cumulative unspoken words had further increased political tensions.
In November 2023, wanting to improve the situation internally, I proposed six solutions to elected officials so that our discussions are more constructive and open. Unfortunately, in my eyes, no positive feedback occurred.
Faced with the impasse, and in order to preserve my health and invest my energy towards more positive actions, I finally submitted my resignation as municipal councilor to the City of Saint-Sauveur in January 2024.
No more rose-colored glasses
The democratic municipal system, originally designed to elect citizen leaders and facilitate decision-making, made sense. However, the municipal world is actually becoming more and more complex. In my opinion, with current laws, this system is no longer suitable. These changes should be made:
1. Create districts for cities with more than 10,000 citizens in order to facilitate the election of new candidates, while strengthening the real link between elected officials and citizens on a smaller territory.
2. Establish mandatory training adapted to current political reality before the elections, necessary for any citizen who wishes to become an elected official for the first time.
3. Create mandatory training for elected officials, focusing on exchanges between them and citizens, particularly during question periods in municipal council.
4. Improve the transparency of files in municipal council for a better understanding of citizens, including more mandatory visuals.
5. Legally clarify the objective and content of the preparatory meetings behind closed doors before the municipal council.
6. Legally define the objective and composition of commissions and committees with the involvement of citizens or not.
7. Establish a more direct and effective support system for elected officials, such as external psychological help and mediators. This would allow problem situations, including different types of harassment, to be resolved more quickly.
In conclusion, my experience leads me to think that by addressing the important uncertainties linked to municipal governance, we would promote better human connections and improve citizens’ confidence in our democratic system.
Now, I have discovered a better way to put forward a civic desire to offer a territory of which our younger generations will be proud. By leaving politics, I will be able to invest my energy in creating a social utility trust for the conservation of natural environments in the territory of the City of Saint-Sauveur. This will be managed by trustees, mostly citizens, who will have a desire to preserve land for trails, nature interpretation, comprehensive protection, etc. We will need citizens and land to implement this way of doing things which already exists and works in Quebec.