In the past week, Marie-Claude Nichols, independent MNA for Vaudreuil, tabled a motion in the National Assembly calling on the Caquist government to commit to concrete measures to improve the climate within municipal councils.

She also questioned the Minister of Municipal Affairs, Andrée Laforest, on the measures announced in response to this crisis, which Nichols deemed insufficient.

As a former mayor of Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot and prefect of the Vaudreuil-Soulanges RCM, Ms. Nichols has been shaken by the recent outbursts from municipal councillors across Quebec denouncing the situations of incivility with which they are confronted.

Psychological help

More than ever, incivility is a major problem, and is even the reason why many municipal councillors are leaving, with nearly 800 resignations since the 2021 municipal elections, an increase of 41%.

Minister Laforest has announced an investment of $2 million to provide psychological assistance to elected municipal officials and their families who feel the need.

For MNA Nichols, this measure in no way addresses the root of the problem: "Psychological assistance is not a solution to the problem of incivility; it's a support offered to victims, but the aggressors will be able to continue their crimes. It's like deciding to treat an open wound with a tiny bandage. We need to get to the root of the problem by putting in place support mechanisms for elected officials and sanctions for aggressors. In short, offering psychological help is not the way to attract new candidates ".

Training in civility

Another measure proposed by Minister Laforest, requiring elected officials to undergo civility training - via the ethics and deontology training offered at the start of their mandate - is also deemed insufficient by MNA Nichols.

"As a former municipal councillor, I know how important the learning curve is at the start of a first mandate. The information we have to integrate and the meetings we have to attend are rich in content. So, a single, general training course at the start of the mandate, including a point on civility, is insufficient. Instead, we need to offer ongoing training to elected officials, so that civility is understood in the same way by everyone, and applied in everyday exchanges."

A code of civility for all municipalities

Marie-Claude Nichols also proposes, as many elected municipal officials are calling for, that the Quebec government force municipalities to adopt a code of civility. Such a tool would establish a common basis for all elected officials as to what is and isn't acceptable behavior during their exchanges and debates.

An independent organization to support elected officials

The many discussions MNA Nichols has had with elected municipal officials from across Quebec have one thing in common: the Commission municipale du Québec (CMQ) and the Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l'Habitation (MAMH) do not offer the necessary support to people experiencing incivility.

For Ms. Nichols, "it's not normal that it takes a resolution passed by a majority of a municipal council to obtain an accompaniment or mediation service. When a councillor feels intimidated by a colleague or by the mayor's office, it's unlikely that the colleague or colleagues in question will agree to submit to such a process. Most of the time, therefore, the resolution is defeated, and the victim is forced to choose between continuing, enduring or resigning".

Finally, the MP hopes that a bill will be drawn up quickly, so that concrete measures can be adopted to improve the climate within municipal councils. In her view, our local democracy depends on it.

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