When they leave political life at the end of their mandate, elected municipal officials are entitled, in many cases, to severance and transition allowances. The former mayor of Longueuil Sylvie Parent will thus be able to receive compensation of nearly $325,000, while the former mayor of Laval Marc Demers will receive more than $261,000, learned The duty. Montreal, for its part, will pay more than four million to forty former mayors or municipal councillors. But several voices are raised to question this system, which pays ex-elected officials even if they quickly found another job.
After 12 years of political life, including four as Mayor of Longueuil, Sylvie Parent left the political arena last November. Elected the highest paid in Quebec with a salary of $250,000 – higher than that of Premier François Legault ($205,793) –, Ms.me Parent is entitled to severance and transition allowances totaling $324,963, indicated the City of Longueuil to the Homework.
For his part, the former mayor of Laval Marc Demers, who received an annual salary of $220,000 and who retired after two terms, will be paid a total sum of $261,530. In Quebec, former mayor Régis Labeaume raised $265,000.
These allowances are governed by the Act respecting the remuneration of elected municipal officials. The severance allowance is calculated based on the number of years of participation in the Retirement Plan for Elected Municipal Officers. For its part, the transition allowance generally corresponds to one year’s salary and is granted in accordance with a municipal by-law.
But these generous allowances have been the subject of criticism for years. Transition allowances are particularly targeted. If they are intended to financially support former elected officials in order to help them reintegrate into the labor market, they are automatically paid, even to elected officials who have already found another job.
Outgoing mayor of Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie, François Croteau will receive $217,564 in compensation, although he found a job as senior director at Innovitech last January. The former mayor of Verdun Jean-François Parenteau will be able to obtain $171,334 after eight years of public service. He has just been hired as strategic director at the CIUSSS de l’Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal.
Pierre Delorme, honorary professor in the Department of Urban and Tourism Studies at UQAM, is surprised by the magnitude of the amounts granted to elected officials in large cities. Especially since, according to him, some elected officials anticipate their departure and, even before the end of their mandate, take steps to find a job. “That people earn a good salary, I have nothing against that. But that they are preparing an exit and that they are paid amounts like that, it is “questionable”. I’m not saying that I’m against it, but I’m saying that we should think about it. »
Help with the transition
Elected officials do not contribute to employment insurance and are therefore not entitled to it when they leave politics. According to Rémy Trudel, visiting professor at the National School of Public Administration, a system that supports former elected officials in their transition to a new job is appropriate in the circumstances, but for those who find a new job quickly, questions arise, says -he. “Nobody questions the fact that they served well,” he said. But the objective is not to compensate, it is to help with the transition. […] The remuneration of elected officials is a very delicate subject, but that should not prevent us from thinking about it. »
Former mayors argue that the work of elected officials is demanding and is not paid at its fair value. “It’s a job 7 days a week, often 24 hours a day, and there’s the pressure of being on social media,” said former Outremont mayor Philipe Tomlinson. “Now that I’m outside the bubble and I see the ecosystem, I can say that it’s not super well paid for what we do. You have to put that into perspective. »
François Croteau is exasperated to see that the question of the remuneration of elected officials comes up regularly in the news. “As if our salary was not deserved. It’s a bit populist to always bring up these benefits. After that, one wonders why there aren’t quality people who want to go into politics. Elected officials are not entitled to employment insurance. Will we assess who is entitled and who is not entitled to an allowance? It’s a bit far-fetched as a debate. »
“It’s the classic argument,” retorts Pierre Delorme. “There are few people in civil society who have such working conditions. There are also people who work very hard in civil society, and they don’t have those conditions. »
Attract candidates
His colleague Danielle Pilette, professor in the Department of Strategy, Social and Environmental Responsibility at UQAM, believes that a distinction must be made between the treatment granted to elected officials from large cities and those from smaller municipalities. “There are some 1,100 municipalities in Quebec. Not all elected officials are full-time. This system is more necessary in small municipalities and in some large cities. The market does not always allow for such an easy transition,” she says.
During the elections last November, more than 540 mayors were elected by acclamation, for lack of opponents. “In this period when municipal democracy is so threatened, I find that it is an excellent incentive system,” adds Ms.me Pilette, while acknowledging that some modifications might be necessary.
Remember that the transition allowance can be paid to former elected officials of municipalities with more than 20,000 inhabitants, while it only applies to mayors in municipalities with less than 20,000 inhabitants.
The Union of Municipalities of Quebec (UMQ) is of the opinion that the allocation system is “fair and equitable” given the difficulty of attracting candidates in municipal politics. However, she says she agrees with the recommendations of the L’Heureux-Dubé report, which, in 2013, suggested that the employment or retirement income obtained by former members of the National Assembly after their mandate be subtracted from the amount of their transition allowance. If this principle were also to apply to elected municipal officials, the UMQ would probably not oppose it, says Patrick Lemieux, communications advisor for the organization.
However, these recommendations have never been implemented.
Read Friday: Life after politics, portraits of former Montreal elected officials