Faced with an unprecedented exodus within municipal councils, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs is spending an additional two million dollars to offer front-line psychological assistance to some 8,000 elected officials in Quebec.
Minister Andrée Laforest’s announcement comes less than a week after the resignation of Gatineau Mayor France Bélisle due to a “hostile” climate in the municipal arena.
The Quebec Federation of Municipalities (FQM) and the Union of Quebec Municipalities (UMQ) will be responsible for operating the helpline, available now.
“To take care of your world, you must also be able to take care of yourself,” responded Julie Bourdon, mayor of Granby and treasurer of the UMQ. This psychological support service will therefore make it possible to respond to an important need, at a time when collective reflection must begin in Quebec on the system in which municipal politics is currently exercised. »
Minister Laforest also plans to enshrine compulsory training in law for all people who access elected office, starting with the next municipal elections scheduled for 2025. “The work is not finished and we will continue our efforts to allow elected officials to be even better equipped to fulfill their essential role,” the minister indicated in a press release.
Wave of resignations
Quebec is facing a wave of resignations never seen before in the municipal sector. At least 741 elected officials have thrown in the towel since the November 2021 election. The resounding departure of France Bélisle has also raised a wave of support and released a voice in the four corners of Quebec, with a multitude of mayors and of advisers who have since denounced the conditions of exercise of their function.
The young mayor of Chapais, Isabelle Lessard, resigned in November in the wake of a trying forest fire season at the gates of her municipality. Exhausted and worried about her mental health, she denounced the lack of support resources provided for elected officials.
In October, the mayor of Sherbrooke, Évelyne Beaudin, announced her temporary withdrawal for health reasons, on the advice of her doctor. At the beginning of February, she also spoke of tensions in the municipal council and the work of undermining the opposition.
In addition, in January 2023, the mayor of Trois-Rivières, Jean Lamarche, also took a break for a few weeks due to an “unhealthy work climate” at city hall. He even considered resigning.
In an open letter published Monday, Longueuil Mayor Catherine Fournier called for a change in “political culture.”
Targeted by aggressive comments on social networks and placed under police protection since September, she maintained that elected officials must themselves set an example and that “it is not normal to see the toxic climates of intimidation which can reign in city halls… and in our parliaments.”
Quebec City Hall itself has been mired, for a week, in allegations of a “toxic” climate which would have culminated in the corridors of the town hall during a muscular skirmish between two elected officials.
Parliamentary commission requested
Friday, the Liberal Party of Quebec requested that a parliamentary commission look into the issue of threats and incivility targeting elected officials, particularly in municipalities.
The Minister of Municipal Affairs, Andrée Laforest, avoided commenting on Friday on the relevance of a parliamentary commission to urgently study the issue.
Upon the resignation of Mr.me Bélisle, however, she maintained that the government “does its part to support elected officials in their functions”.
On the X network, however, she added that “it is important that certain changes take place from within the councils with a sincere desire and for the benefit of citizens”.
With The Canadian Press