Bill 22

Published by Karim | Filed under Uncategorized

There has been a lot of talk about some of the provisions contained within the controversial Bill 22. So I thought, before arriving at Election Day, I should clarify exactly what this Bill entails.

Bill 22 is the provincial government’s mechanism for making changes to Montreal’s charter. And one of the provisions included in the Bill that passed on June 22, 2007 is a restructuring to the governance of the Ville-Marie Borough – and in my opinion, a huge step backwards for the democratic process.

The provisions give the Mayor of Montreal new powers, notably, taxation and enforcement. However, the most striking provision is that for the November 1st, 2009 election, the position of Borough Mayor of Ville-Marie will be abolished; whoever is elected Mayor of Montreal will also become the Mayor of Ville-Marie. But if that weren’t enough, the Mayor will also appoint 2 additional Councillors (from other Boroughs) to sit on Ville-Marie Borough Council alongside the 3, democratically elected, City Councillors (representing their respective districts of Ste-Marie, St-Jacques and Peter-McGill).

Now think about this, the citizens of Ville-Marie will no longer have a local Mayor (unlike the other 18 Boroughs) to represent them and address their issues. In addition, the 2 other Councillors, nominated by the Mayor of Montreal to ensure his or her wishes, become untouchable.

For example, let’s say that the Mayor nominates a Councillor from Anjou and another from Mercier to sit in Ville-Marie. What recourse do the citizens of Ville-Marie have, should they disagree with the decisions or judgement of these 2 nominated Councillors?
Answer: they have no recourse - they cannot vote those people out at the next election; they never had a say in electing them in the first place!

We lose our local Mayor and we are imposed representatives who will not spend a second more in Ville-Marie than they have to. Why do the other Boroughs get to keep their local Mayor and we are left with a void in the system? Are we supposed to believe that the Mayor of Montreal (who should be responsible for all 19 Boroughs), is going to meet with every local neighbourhood organizer to hear their complaints and suggestions they way a Borough Mayor does? Will the Mayor of Montreal attend Ville-Marie Borough Council every month in addition to all of his/her other responsibilities? And should they??

I sincerely doubt it.

That is why, now more than ever, it is SO important to make a wise decision as to your local representative. I truly believe that as an Independent, I am in the best position to serve and represent my constituents. I owe nothing to any of the Mayoral candidates, I will have no Party agenda to defend and I will have no Party line to toe!
Remember, in municipal elections you don’t vote for a party, you vote for a person. Each elector in Ville-Marie will be given 2 ballots, one for their choice of Mayor of Montreal, the other for their choice of City Councillor representing their district.

The people of Peter-McGill have the opportunity to elect someone who will be their voice at City Hall and not the voice of a Party selling its partisan message. You have an opportunity to choose a representative that will actually represent you!

Bill 22 link: http://www.assnat.qc.ca/eng/38legislature1/projets-loi/publics/07-a022.pdf

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