Two years ago, a new wave of mayors swept through Quebec municipal politics. Young, idealistic and, above all, unexpected, these elected officials embodied the arrival to power of a rising generation, more inclined to talk about climate issues, collective mobility, regional planning and social solidarity. At mid-term, their results are mixed, marked by several victories, but also by a political world which refuses to grant cities the autonomy that they are increasingly demanding.
The elections of November 7, 2021 represented the advent of a younger and more feminine political landscape in Quebec. Five of the ten largest cities in the province elected a woman as mayor; nearly 9% of the 7,924 elected officials, or 633 of them, were aged 18 to 34. A breath of fresh air floated through the political arena — and for good reason: more than half of municipal elected officials had never tasted active politics before coming to power.
“This wave was both inspiring and surprising,” analyzes professor of politics at Laval University Thierry Giasson. It was a bit of an expression of a new appetite among Quebecers for other figures and other discourses, figures which, in several respects, broke with the political traditions in place. »
These mayors took the reins of their city with an ambitious vision of municipal politics. Bruno Marchand in Quebec, Valérie Plante in Montreal, Stéphane Boyer in Laval, France Bélisle in Gatineau or Catherine Fournier in Longueuil: all campaigned for greener and more sustainable cities, capable of breaking out of the ruts of traditional urban planning oriented around ‘auto.
“I think you need a certain amount of idealism, especially when running a big city. No one goes into politics to manage affairs on a small-time basis: you need to have a transformative vision of society, underlines Thierry Giasson. I think all these people had this sacred fire to do something beautiful and good for their city. »
Governing is tiring, tiring
After two years in office, yesterday’s neophytes have today given their first spin. The majority of elected officials have already completed some budgets; they know their files and have acquired experience in municipal management.
The reality of power has, however, caught up with many, sometimes in a more direct way than for others. In Quebec, Bruno Marchand defended for two years a tramway that took the government a week to bury. In Montreal, Valérie Plante, although she presides over the Montreal Metropolitan Community, which accounts for nearly half of Quebec’s population, has long had to admit her powerlessness to alleviate the housing crisis without government support.
“Governing according to the needs and what we dream of for the future of our community almost always requires, at the municipal level, the authorization of higher governments, because the means of cities are not unlimited,” explains the former Minister of Municipal Affairs Rémy Trudel. In Quebec or Ottawa, if we believe that the dream must materialize, we will look for new revenue to make it a reality. At the municipal level, you always have to beg, you always have to ask dad for permission. »
This relationship of dependence is hard to come by despite the desire for freedom repeated many times by the municipalities for two years. Calls to review municipal taxation so that cities have the means to achieve their ambitions – and the challenges they must meet – have been rejected. “The law has not changed,” says Thierry Giasson. Municipalities are always provincial creatures. »
In several municipalities, politics has prematurely worn out this new wave of political figures. In Sherbrooke, Mayor Évelyne Beaudin is on sick leave on orders from her doctor to avoid exhaustion that is “too difficult to overcome”.
In Chapais, Quebec’s youngest mayor, Isabelle Lessard, announced her resignation on Wednesday, two years and one day after her election. At only 23 years old, the management of the forest fires which raged on the outskirts of his city last summer left him with after-effects akin to post-traumatic shock.
“It saddens me a lot,” underlines Marc Demers, the former mayor of Laval. She represents exactly what we are looking for in the municipal world, that is to say a young person, ideally a woman because there are fewer of them than men, particularly in small municipalities. »
A footprint already visible
Despite this financial straitjacket and these hasty departures, the new municipal wave has managed to leave its mark on Quebec politics.
“These elected officials seem to share a clear vision of what the Quebec of tomorrow should be,” underlines the professor from Laval University. They are capable of embodying it in people’s reality because they are on the ground, very close to the ground. When they speak with one voice on these issues, their voice carries and what we are observing at the moment is that the provincial government is tempted to listen to them. »
Proof of this is the recent economic update from the Minister of Finance, Eric Girard, which gives pride of place to the concerns raised by mayors for two years.
“The three main points of the economic update which was presented Tuesday morning, these are three points which were put forward, defended and debated by the mayors, and not by the government,” indicates Thierry Giasson. The municipal world has an influence, among other things because it speaks a lot with the same voice. These are people who have understood that they have converging interests in the face of a government which, politically, on the question of the environment, mobility, the fight against climate change, holds a discourse which is not always very coherent and who often throws the ball back to the federal government to try to create clashes and gain points in the name of nationalism. »
Collective mobility, notes the professor from Laval University, has never caused as much ink to flow as over the last two years. “We are also talking a lot about housing, and it is the mayors who have been following the government on this issue. »
The CAQ, which long denied the existence of a housing crisis when mayors sounded the alarm, is now devoting $1.8 billion to it. In the eyes of Thierry Giasson, “there is no doubt that it is linked to the demands of the mayors, who have become spokespersons for organizations in the field, organizations defending tenants’ rights and the rights of welfare recipients” .
The municipal world, which organized a summit on homelessness two months ago, can also claim victory on this front, according to former minister Rémy Trudel, now an associate professor at ENAP. “What made the Minister of Finance put sugar on the table for homelessness? It is very, very, very clearly the municipal elected officials, he believes. What forced the minister to spend almost $2 billion [sur cinq ans] to climate change? For me, it is still very, very clear that it comes from their speaking out. »
This new generation also brings new life to municipal democracy. Around sixty cities now adopt a participatory budget, explains Rémy Trudel, which allows the population to have a say in the spending of public funds. Others encourage constant dialogue between citizens. “It’s no longer just about listening to people for an hour during the municipal council. It’s about learning by constantly listening to what the population is experiencing. »
The main challenge for the municipal world, between now and the end of the mandate, will be less to convince the government than the population, in the eyes of the former minister.
“We live in a “not in my backyard” sequence. People are for densification as long as it doesn’t happen in their neighborhood or on their street. The bulk of the mandate, for the next two years, will be to explain, explain, explain constantly. These elected officials make an exceptional contribution to the public debate, but it is essential that they endlessly explain the transformations they intend to implement to rally the population. »