Question concerning Law 122 and the abolition of municipal referendums

Question concerning Law 122 and the abolition of municipal referendums
Amis du Pinacle - 15 November 2017
Adapted from open question s of Brome Missisquoi

In the next 4 years, the mayors in this chamber will make decisions that strike at the heart local democracy in Quebec. Law 122 will require elected representatives  to adopt consultation policies that are more transparent and interactive. They have also been given  the extraordinary power to abolish referendums, that is, abolish an important vote that belongs to the citizen.
In municipalities like mine in Frelighsburg where election-by-acclamation is the norm, this effectively becomes a blank check to completely abolish a citizens vote. Law 122 hence creates a potential democratic crisis. Politicians in Frelighsburg and other municipalities now have all the powers of elected representatives. Yet they lack the democratic legitimacy that comes not from the laws of Quebec but from elections and the vote of their citizens.

The referendum process is important in Brome-Missisquoi. In the past 4 years:

• In Frelighsburg, the people used the referendum process to halt the construction of new roads and new subdivisions on the fragile slopes of the Pinacle;
• In Sutton, a town council was swept out of office by voters because of abuses of the referendum process;
• In Cowansville, citizens used it to preserve the historic character of Sweetsburg.

The system works well given that the ties between municipal politicians and real estate promoters are often too close in Quebec.

I therefore invite every new possibility for consultation and transparency from the MRC and from municipalities. But referendums are my vote. They are not negotiable.

I therefore ask if there is a mayor who will stand up for preserving the citizen’s vote.

Werner Wintels, Frelighsburg