STEPHEN RICCIO
PONTIAC May 27, 2021
Quebec’s Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MAMH) held a municipal election informative session on May 27, for residents who were interested in engaging more with municipal politics.
The session, which was hosted on Zoom and required residents to . . .
request by email ahead of time to gain entry, lasted roughly an hour and a half and had just three residents in attendance. The three residents in attendance: Guylaine La Salle, Noemie Boisclair and Nicole Thompson, got feedback on their questions that could be answered from the MAMH presenters.
The function of the MAMH’s presentation was to provide a general overview of how the municipal governance structure works while also explaining the eligibility required to run for office. The presenters for the MAMH were Evelyn Gauthier and Kiril Kiryakov, a municipal management advisor.
They began by defining what a municipality is in the context of Quebec’s politics: as being made up of a territory, its inhabitants and its taxpayers, while being governed by a council consisting of a mayor and councillors that is elected every four years. With its oversight being expansive, a municipality has the power to interview in the areas of: development and urban planning, local economic development, transportation and roads, drinking water supply, sewage remediation, community development, recreation and culture, taxing power and property assessment, residual materials management, municipal court, security: police and fire services, tourist promotion and reception, environment, sanitation and nuisances, and housing.
The presentation then moved onto highlighting the role of the municipal council and the positions within it. The council’s purpose is to provide services that are required by the community while prioritizing areas for action. The council’s method of decision-making is through resolutions and by-laws that are passed during public meetings.
The mayor is the municipality’s primary representative, works in collaboration with the director general, works with councillors, has the right to oversight over the municipal services and serves as a member of the MRC council. Meanwhile a councillor’s role is to attend council meetings while representing the interests of municipal citizens, participate in commissions and committees, offer advice and exercise decision-making ability on resolutions and by-law votes. While the councillors regularly vote on resolutions and by-laws, the mayor may only cast a vote in the event of a tie.
The presentation provided an image that separates the entities of politics and administration within a municipality. Under the political category falls the municipal council and its committees. Within the administrative category is the director general, who answers directly to the council. Administrative officials below this level answer to the director general, and they include positions such as municipal inspector, public works director, etc.
As part of the operation of the municipal council, a meeting must be held at least once a month and extraordinary meetings may occur when necessary.
From there, the presentation shifted to explaining what is required of a resident who is interested in registering as a candidate for this year’s municipal elections in the fall.
First, a prospective candidate “must have the right to be registered on the municipal voters’ list,’’ according to the presentation.
This means he or she needs to be: 18 years-old by Nov. 7, 2021, a Canadian citizen by Sept. 1, 2021, not be under curatorship on Sept. 1, 2021 and not have been convicted of election fraud since Aug. 31, 2016, a resident of the municipality on Sept. 1, 2021 and in Quebec for at least six months as of the same date OR be the owner of a building (cottage) or the occupant of a place of business within the municipality for at least one year on Sept. 1, 2021.
The candidate must also reside either continuously or not in the municipality’s territory for at least the last 12 months as of Sept. 1, 2021.
There are possible grounds for ineligibility, and they could be associated with: professional duties, failure to file financial reports, debts incurred or disqualifications, and holding more than one elected office.
The following dates are key for those interested in registering as a candidate in this year’s elections:
Period for filing nomination papers: Sept. 17 to Oct. 1
Advance Voting: mandatory on Oct. 31 from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Election Day: Nov. 7 from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Filing nomination papers can be done through the municipal returning officer. Once a paper is obtained and filled out, signatures must be collected in support of the candidacy before filing at the returning officers’ office.
If a candidate is successfully elected following election day, they will take an oath to act in accordance with the law within 30 days of election. From there, they must declare any pecuniary interests, complete ethics and professional conduct training and comply with the ethics and conduct code specific to their municipality.
There is remuneration and an expense allowance for elected officials, as well as the possibility of an 18-week parental leave.
Anyone seeking any further information or clarification can consult further MAMH resources at https://jemepresente.gouv.qc.ca/.
