Mass departures from municipal politics are understandable

KAMOURASKA, QUE.—Municipal politics is always lauded as the level “closest to the people.” It is also perhaps the most understandable; profound discussions at other levels about foreign and defence policy, tax points, immigration, job creation, or education can be exhausting and complicated. Paving roads, making sure water is safe, and the fire department is fully equipped are easy for the average citizen to grasp. At the same time, a version of the late Henry Kissinger’s dictum about university politics applies: the smaller the stakes in politics, the more vicious the infighting. In municipal politics, the elbows can be high. Last November, a Radio-Canada study indicated 741 municipal councillors, including 60 mayors, had left the helms of Quebec’s 1,218 municipalities since elections were held two years before. That number has accelerated since the fall, with some high-profile mayors departing. In late February, then-Gatineau, Que., mayor France Bélisle announced she was resigning, saying there were “personal attacks that go beyond criticism, elected officials who do not play their role in the right place or at the right time, and death threats.” The mayor of Sherbrooke, Évelyne Beaudin, took a leave of absence last October, saying she was dealing with “a state of exhaustion that would be too important and too difficult to overcome.” Of our seven-member council in Kamouraska, we have had one resignation since 2021. In the town of Saint Bruno, about 15 kilometres away, their long-term mayor, Richard Caron, stepped down recently. Caron, a friend and hockey teammate, has been a mentor to me. But he told me the pressure was getting to him and, at the age of 72, it was time to quit. The desire to serve motivates most people to become involved in politics, especially at the municipal level. There is an expectation by voters that things can be done without the huge bureaucracies of provincial or federal governments. That is what motivated me to run in Kamouraska in 2021, 30 years after being a councillor in the suburb of Montreal West. However, soon after the election, I attended a seminar for new councillors where a representative of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs told us bluntly we had no authority, as that was in the hands of municipal public servants. Our only responsibilities were to show up for meetings, vote, and get paid. Beyond that, zilch. This was contrary to my previous council experience, where I had responsibility for the fire department, liaison with police, and building permits. I had the freedom to work directly with town officials. Now I was being told I could do nothing. Every management class I ever took insisted for an employee (or an official) to feel valued, they must be given responsibility, be respected, and have the opportunity to achieve their goals. A second shock came a month later when I took a course on ethics given by the Quebec Union of Municipalities. Amid a series of PowerPoint slides presented by a prominent municipal lawyer, up popped a case involving former Montreal borough mayor Sue Montgomery, who was falsely accused of creating a toxic work environment. She challenged that claim and won at the Superior Court. The city did not appeal the court’s decision, and settled a lawsuit out of court with her, paying $300,000 in damages. I pointed out it was actually unethical for the lawyer to focus on the case. The lawyer refused to retract the slides or the accusations. While many Quebec municipal politicians have left due to harassment in public, on social media, or due to personal conflicts, I believe there’s a link between bad morale and the frustrations of being powerless. As someone who has worked at the municipal, provincial, federal, and international levels, I am well aware of the Sisyphean nature of politics. That said, there are different ways of managing, and giving councillors real responsibility would be a start. Instead, the Quebec Ministry of Municipal Affairs—the same ministry that said we were powerless—offered counselling to elected officials. In smaller municipalities, it should not be hard to make changes. In a recent battle over budget, four of us withheld our votes until we succeeded, despite the complaints of the town manager and the mayor. In a functioning democracy, it is the politicians who must respond to the electorate, as they expect we will work in their interest. That’s why people vote, and we have elections. Andrew Caddell is retired from Global Affairs Canada, where he was a senior policy adviser. He previously worked as an adviser to Liberal governments. He is a town councillor in Kamouraska, Que. He can be reached at pipson52@hotmail.com. The Hill Times

Mass departures from municipal politics are understandable

The smaller the stakes in politics, the more vicious the infighting, and in municipal politics, the elbows can be high.

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Mass departures from municipal politics are understandable

The smaller the stakes in politics, the more vicious the infighting, and in municipal politics, the elbows can be high.

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