Bill 57, which provides for the imposition of fines on citizens who intimidate elected officials, gives mayors and councilors “excessive” powers that undermine freedom of expression, argues the Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ).
“Citizens have the right to make their voices heard and criticize their representatives without fear of punitive measures,” says its leader Éric Duhaime.
The bill recently presented by Minister of Municipal Affairs Andrée Laforest was intended to be a response to the wave of denunciations from elected officials about the growing intimidation to which they say they are subject. It makes liable to a fine “anyone who obstructs the exercise of the functions” of an elected official “by threatening, intimidating or harassing him in such a way as to cause him to reasonably fear for his integrity or his safety”.
The expected fine amounts are between $500 and $1,500.
During his outing Thursday, the leader of the PCQ was accompanied by Luce Daneau, defeated candidate of his party in the last elections and mayor of the municipality of Wickham. This municipality became one of the symbols of the toxic climate in certain cities last year when two successive mayors resigned citing it.
Gold Mme Daneau, who, before being elected, was one of the mayor’s critics, believes that he was not treated unfairly by the population. “Elected officials or citizens may have the feeling of being intimidated, but in reality, is it intimidation? It’s a psychological matter,” she declared to Duty in November 2023.
The PCQ even associates this “drift” with the crisis that occurred in Sainte-Pétronille, on the island of Orléans. “The definition of what constitutes harassment or disorder varies depending on the person concerned,” he argues.
“We saw this in the municipality of Sainte-Pétronille where a simple petition pushed the local administration to send a formal notice to 97 citizens who were demanding clarification. Do we really want to legalize and normalize this type of practice? Me no. », Says the mayor of Wickham in a press release.
The Conservative Party is not the first to express its concerns regarding Bill 57. The League of Rights and Liberties of Quebec has also expressed concerns on this subject.