Ending popular financing could harm municipal democracy

(Quebec) Ending popular financing of political parties as suggested by François Legault would harm municipal democracy, according to the presidents of the two major associations of municipalities in Quebec.

They themselves contributed to the financing of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ).

The president of the Union of Quebec Municipalities (UMQ), Martin Damphousse, and his counterpart at the head of the Quebec Federation of Municipalities (FQM), Jacques Demers, reacted to the idea of ​​renouncing popular financing, launched by the CAQ leader Thursday.

The CAQ has been shaken for two weeks by controversies over its fundraising methods: the opposition accuses CAQ deputies of having dangled access to ministers in exchange for a $100 donation to the party, as the suggest messages obtained by The Canadian Press.

MM. Damphousse and Demers have no problem with a councilor, a mayor or a citizen contributing to a party’s fund.

“We are deviating from the real subject, […] it’s not popular funding that is problematic,” Mr. Demers declared in an interview with The Canadian Press.

Donations from individuals are “absolutely necessary” so that new candidates on the municipal scene can make themselves known, “otherwise the old parties and existing candidates will have a major strategic advantage,” argued Mr. Damphousse, who is also mayor. from Varennes.

“Everyone is unanimous on that,” he assured.

If almost half of the mayors contribute to the CAQ fund, as revealed by a report from The Canadian Press, it is not because they otherwise have difficulty meeting a minister, that is not the problem, maintains Mr. Damphousse.

“I’ve never had a problem with access,” he assured. I have never needed to contribute to a party fund to meet a minister. »

The problem is rather the wording of the CAQ requests which is “unskillful”, he deplores – something which the CAQ even recognized while nevertheless assuring that it had not committed anything illegal.

We cannot pretend to have a privilege by luring municipal elected officials with a minister into a fundraising cocktail – the law prohibits contributing to a party with the intention of obtaining a counterpart.

“Mayors felt uncomfortable thinking that they had to pay to meet a minister,” continued Mr. Demers, who is mayor of Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley.

You do not obtain a privilege by financing or participating in a fundraising activity, insisted Mr. Damphousse.

“On the other hand, are there plenty of elected officials [municipaux] who benefit from it [en allant à des cocktails de financement] to make themselves known and advance issues that are important to them, it’s perfect for them, there is no risk in that,” he nevertheless added.

Minister Bernard Drainville admitted last week that municipal elected officials discussed their issues with him during fundraising activities, while the general director of the CAQ rather affirmed that the exchanges between the minister and the mayors were of the order of the brief conversation, “sprinkling”.

Mr. Demers believes that municipal elected officials take part in their MP’s fundraising activities because they want to know what the government will do for their municipality.

The presidents of the UMQ and the FQM both contributed to the CAQ.

They are the ones who, as representatives of all of Quebec’s municipalities, negotiated the very last fiscal pact signed last fall with the CAQ government.

Could this harm their independence or the appearance of impartiality?

“In my opinion, not at all,” replied Mr. Damphousse.

“It would be incredible if it were,” Mr. Demers also retorted.

Mr. Damphousse says he does not consider himself a CAQ activist. He wanted to contribute to the campaign of the CAQ candidate and today Minister of Families, Suzanne Roy, who was his predecessor at the head of the UMQ.

“She is my MP, my colleague and my personal friend. It is not linked to future meetings with ministers. This has nothing to do with. »

“No, I do not consider myself a CAQ activist,” Mr. Demers also replied, saying he had already contributed to the PQ and the PLQ when they were in power.

“I like hearing what these parties are going to do for our county. There is no obligation for anyone to take out a membership card, which I don’t do anyway. »

Mr. Damphousse contributed $200 to Ms.’s campaign^me Roy in 2022, an election year where a citizen has the right to contribute an additional $100 in addition to the authorized annual maximum of $100. He did it again with $100 in 2023.

Mr. Demers, for his part, paid $100 to the CAQ fund in 2023, but in 2019 and 2017, he gave $100 to the Liberal Party (PLQ).

On Monday, The Canadian Press revealed that 503 out of 1,138 mayors and prefects in Quebec had contributed to the CAQ’s electoral fund since the last municipal elections in 2021, for a total of nearly $100,000.

In messages obtained by The Canadian Press, CAQ deputies invited municipal elected officials to cocktails by offering to meet a minister in exchange for a contribution of $100.

The opposition parties accuse the CAQ of having set up a financing scheme that targets municipal elected officials, which the CAQ have denied.

Two CAQ deputies, Sylvain Lévesque and Louis-Charles Thouin, are the target of an investigation by the Ethics Commissioner of the National Assembly, Ariane Mignolet.

Québec solidaire also asked her to investigate two other CAQ elected officials, Gilles Bélanger and Yves Montigny, but she deemed the requests inadmissible.

Mr. Legault considered that the opposition’s attacks called into question his integrity. Upset by the revelations, he announced Thursday that his party would renounce individual contributions from citizens and invited his opponents from other parties to do the same, which they refused.

Municipal elected officials have the right to contribute to party financing, like any citizen.