Elected since 2017, the mayor of the Gaspé town of Percé, Cathy Poirier, announced this Tuesday that she was resigning due to “unacceptable behavior.”
She said that “harassment, personal attacks, assaults and intimidation” had taken their toll on her political commitment, various media outlets reported during the day. The current climate is detrimental to the proper functioning of democratic institutions, she said.
On the social network X, the Union des municipalités du Québec (UMQ) highlighted Cathy Poirier’s commitment in recent years. “It is crucial to create favorable conditions so that municipal elected officials can act for the well-being of their communities.”
During her term, the mayor had notably sparked strong protests among merchants by introducing a tourist fee in 2021. In 2023, the Superior Court of Quebec invalidated the regulation in a judgment that Percé then appealed. Last June, the city’s municipal council held a meeting — where Mme Poirier was absent — during which he voted to abandon the appeal process.
Shortly after, she said she was thinking about her political future, while specifying that she wanted to stay until the end of ongoing investigations, Radio-Canada reported. The media outlet maintained that she was referring in particular to the administrative investigation into her spouse and the city’s director of urban planning and land management, Ghislain Pitre. He has been suspended since last November.
At the time of writing, Mme Poirier had not yet responded to the interview request from Duty.
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