CAQ MP Joëlle Boutin announces her resignation, she will leave her post on July 31. This will be the third by-election in Jean-Talon since 2008. The elected official justifies her decision to break her contract with the population by “opportunities that cannot be refused” and by “family considerations”. Elected in December 2019, she knew the demands of an MP’s job when she stood for re-election in October 2022. […]
The estimated cost for holding a by-election in 2023 is $585,000. Between 2014 and 2017, fifteen by-elections were called in Quebec following the departure of MNAs, which cost taxpayers the sum of $8,250,000.
When a person is elected, a contract is therefore sealed with the taxpayers until the next general election. As in most contractual agreements, breach of contract results in a penalty to compensate the party affected by this decision. As an aggrieved taxpayer, I propose that a member who leaves office before the end of his mandate pay the cost of the by-election he provokes. An exception would apply in the event of a serious illness or the death of the Member. A leader rejected by his party would also be exempt from the penalty.
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