(Quebec) Denouncing “personal attacks” and a “harmful” climate at city hall, the mayor of Percé announced her resignation Tuesday. Cathy Poirier leaves with a suggestion for the government: eliminate the citizens’ question period at council meetings, which she says have become “a period of revenge.”
This resignation comes more than four months after that of France Bélisle in Gatineau. But the context of Ms. Bélisle’s departureme Poirier is unique, as the mayor had alienated a good part of the council and citizens, and her spouse, a city employee, was suspended pending an administrative investigation.
“Harassment, personal attacks, assaults and intimidation have put paid to my commitment. This unacceptable behaviour, and not only here in Percé, leads me to fear for the proper functioning of our democratic institutions,” denounced Cathy Poirier, who now intends to devote herself to her fish smoking business.
He is the second mayor in a row to resign in the small Gaspé town of 3,300 residents, known for its picture-postcard landscapes and its famous rock. André Boudreau had slammed the door in 2016 after losing a referendum on a loan for a commercial street project. “I’m going to resign right now and I’m going to go have fun with my grandchildren at home,” the man had said.
Cathy Poirier was elected to replace him. She also had several projects that came under fire from critics. Her tourist fee project sparked the ire of some of the merchants who were responsible for collecting it.
They took the matter to court. The Superior Court had invalidated the bylaw, but Percé had chosen to take the matter to the Court of Appeal. At the June council meeting, in the absence of the mayor, the councillors voted by a majority to abandon the appeal and with it the levy. The council also reversed two other decisions dear to the mayor.
“The work I did was destroyed and I don’t have the strength, the interest or the intention to put it all back together in the next year. It would have been impossible,” says M.me Poirier in a telephone interview.
” Expenses [pour l’appel sur la redevance] were 90% underway. So we will have to pay the costs anyway. The pleadings were scheduled for September. And we are going backwards. It is a shame for the municipal world.”
Eliminate the question period?
The suspension last November of M’s spouseme Poirier, director of urban planning and land management for the City of Percé, also made matters worse. The man has since been the subject of an administrative investigation.
The mayor says she has withdrawn from any discussion at the city regarding this matter. She refused to speak about it to the council, at the suggestion of the city attorney. But she deplores that several citizens constantly mentioned it.
“If there is a change to be made in the municipal world, I consider that it is the question period. There should be a reform of the law on municipalities. The question period, I consider that it is archaic, I think that it is no longer necessary to disseminate information,” the resigning mayor said in an interview.
Mme Poirier had decided to suspend the question period last April – after an hour of questions all the same – when a citizen at the microphone accused him of having “favored his family income” in his spouse’s case. The references to this investigation came back to each council, often from the same citizens.
“The other two levels of government don’t have that,” says Mr.me Poirier, referring to these question periods for citizens. “It has become a period of revenge, of misinformation. If there is something I would change in the municipal world, it is definitely the question period, which no longer has a reason to exist.”
She believes that municipal employees are well placed to answer citizens’ questions.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Union of Quebec Municipalities (UMQ) praised “Cathy Poirier’s commitment to its authorities over the past few years.”
“Several elected municipal officials, such as Mr.me Poirier, had to make the difficult decision to leave their positions during their mandate. There is still much to do to improve the situation,” emphasizes the UMQ, which will hold the Summit on Municipal Democracy next October.
The Press contacted some of the mayor’s opponents. None wanted to speak publicly on Tuesday. However, they accuse Mme Poirier for lacking transparency and consulting them poorly. They believe his resignation will improve the climate at city hall.
Percé will now have to elect a new mayor, since the resignation of Mr.me Poirier’s decision comes more than a year before the next municipal elections in November 2025.