Whether you live in Montreal, Drummondville or Baie-Comeau, municipal elections are an opportunity to exert a real influence on decisions that affect our daily lives.
From garbage collection to neighborhood safety, from the development of green spaces to the condition of the streets, from our recreation center to our tax bill, the municipal government intervenes in all aspects of our daily life.
It can also make decisions that will have an impact on the proliferation of firearms, access to affordable housing as well as mobility in a time of energy transition.
Do we realize it fully? Maybe not.
The low rate of participation in municipal elections, particularly among those under 35, indicates that citizens feel little questioned. At least not enough to set aside an hour or two in their day to go and vote.
In 2017, in Montreal, the voter turnout rate was 42.5%. By comparison, it was 62% in the last federal election and 66% in the last provincial election, in 2018.
The many ethical scandals that plagued municipal life in the years 2000 and 2010 have undoubtedly contributed to the disinterest of some and to the cynicism of others. Corruption in Laval and Terrebonne, water meter scandal in Montreal, these highly publicized stories, and as distressing as they are, at least led to a tightening of several ethical rules. And Bill 49 – which among other things wishes to modify the Municipal Ethics and Professional Conduct Act – provides for the obligation for all elected officials to take ethics training at the start of their term of office.
When will parity be reached?
The lack of interest in municipal politics is also reflected in the difficulty of attracting candidates.
This year, according to data provided by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, of the 8,044 candidates for mayor or councilor positions, 60.9% were elected without opposition (the proportion was 56.3% in 2017). Across Quebec, 273 municipal councils were made up of candidates elected by acclamation. That’s 55 more than in the last election.
The good news is that there has been a – slight – increase in the number of young people running for office. Although the 55-64 year olds are the most represented (28.2%), the 18-34 year olds account for 9.5% of the total applications, an increase since 2017 when the proportion was 8.7%.
There are also more women than in the last election. From 31.3% in 2017, they rose to 35.5%. By comparison, female applicants in 2005 represented 24.7% of all applicants. Yes, the progression is done at a turtle’s pace. To achieve parity, there is a shortage of 1,771 women according to the Woman, Politics and Democracy Group, which launched the idea of a rule similar to the one requiring parity on the boards of directors of state-owned companies.
Encouraging data for the future: young women represent 49.6% of candidates among 18-34 year olds.
Messages everywhere
With each campaign, efforts are being made to “get the vote out”. Multilingual advertising campaign to reach all communities, mass distribution in traditional media – television, radio, newspapers – as well as in social networks, public transport, on murals and city walls. We are trying to reach voters everywhere.
This is without counting the journalistic coverage, the signs that invade the streets, the phone calls and door-to-door candidates.
In short, unless you live in a cave without WiFi, it’s hard to ignore that there are elections this weekend.
And to facilitate participation, there’s also the mail-in vote, which ran from October 4 to November 5 this year. Offered to the elderly, hospitalized or with reduced mobility, voting by mail was also offered to people aged 70 and over in 450 Quebec municipalities.
Finally, this year, to prevent people from congregating in times of COVID, we have multiplied the number of voting days. In addition to the official day of November 7, we were able to vote in advance on October 30 and 31. We can also vote this Saturday, November 6 in Montreal. In the metropolis, the turnout is 12.9% for the vote last weekend, according to Elections Montreal. A clear increase since it was 7.98% in 2017.
The weather will be fine all weekend and we will gain an hour of sleep in the night from Saturday to Sunday. Fresh and refreshed, take a walk in the colors of fall to the nearest polling station. Cities need you.
What do you think? Express your opinion