Civic Alert: Tremblay’s cries are not worthy

He was quick to claim it would cost Montreal taxpayers $3 million. That seems high, but perhaps to be expected if charged — and surcharged — at Montreal’s usual levels. Even if it is accurate, it is, frankly, peanuts.

For every $1,000 of property tax, there would be an increase of 75 cents!

That is hardly ripping off taxpayers! Tremblay should recognize it as such.

The biggest news that came from the government’s proposals was Tremblay’s vicious reaction — and that of some French media.

Too few changes

The government is, in reality, proposing little change. It is the suburbs that should be upset; we are far from the demergers Charest and the Liberals promised!

The agglom will not be abolished, as ADQ leader Mario Dumont had undertaken. (He is already backing off that commitment, but what’s new about political duplicity like that?) Montreal water operations will be hived off into a separate corporation like the STM, which runs transit.

But the suburban mayors’ proposals for other self-contained boards to run the police and fire services, regional parks, the Arts Council, the Municipal Courts and the evaluations service were ignored.

So was their big wish to have the agglom costs charged to the member municipalities rather than directly to individual taxpayers.

Rate setting

By ignoring this and other financial pleas, Montreal remains free to manipulate tax rates to its benefit.

The budgeting process would stay with Montreal and all the spending would be directed by the Executive Committee.

The mayors made a pitch to the government for the Executive Committee to be excluded from agglom affairs, but, of course this was opposed. Failing that, the mayors asked for two representatives on it — two because of the “isolation” that would be felt by one member.

Tremblay has explained that this is unacceptable to him because if the mayors were part of it, his opposition councillors would have to be represented as well.

Party devils

This again illustrates one of the big devils in the Montreal system — Tremblay’s decision was based on helping his party rather than the Island.

After his first emotional outbursts, Tremblay seems to have left the debate.

Executive Committee Chairman Frank Zampino spoke for the absent mayor at last week’s agglom council meeting. He also debated the issue with Beaconsfield Mayor Bob Benedetti on 940 News on Friday afternoon.

Zampino kept harping on the 73 per cent share of the population that “chose to stay” in Montreal.

Zampino’s double-talk

This is a supreme example of political double talk. Only 17 per cent voted to leave, true, but of the remainder, the majority lived in Montreal and therefore had no opportunity to demerge!

Of course, to protect Tremblay, the Charest government had introduced a 35 per cent threshold for the poll. They also provided a faulty voters’ register that had not been prepared for a referendum.

Had the normal 50 per cent plus one rule applied, then the demerging population would have doubled and the share of the leverage within the agglom would be very different.

Jean Charest and Liberal Party did great harm to those boroughs that could not demerge and have yet to make up for it.

Why aggloms?

However, in the spring election the loss of votes in Westmount riding — and, even more, on the West Island — demonstrated that voters were unhappy with the Charest Liberals, and the right alternative to the Liberals would be welcomed by many.

Hence, the government’s determined effort since the election to find some solution to the aggloms.

In Quebec City, Municipal Affairs Minister Nathalie Normandeau’s policy of “let them get together and find their own answers” seems to have worked.

Also, on the South Shore it has been partly successful. A solution was imposed by National Assembly legislation as parliament ended its session last week.

But St. Lambert’s mayor, Sean Finn, while acknowledging some progress, has expressed bitter disappointment at the refusal to change the governing structure.

Why are the Liberals so wedded to the aggloms?

Citizens prevail

In St. Bruno, citizens are clamouring to leave the agglom completely and re-join the neighboring county. Their mayor, Claude Benjamin, was reluctant to push for that much change, but was persuaded by citizens’ action.

At this month’s meeting, the council voted in favour of separating from Longueuil. They were encouraged to do so by a petition signed by 9,000 citizens — half the population!

Such a petition is hard work and needs a lot of organizing. St Bruno citizens were among the leaders of all the forced merger and demerger fights. And now, they are doing so again.

Such citizen organization and action is needed on Montreal Island.

Tough fall debate

The government proposals for Montreal were made in Bill 22, which was deposited in the National Assembly on the final day of the session. They will not become law, if at all, till near the end of the year.

In the fall, the bill will be reviewed by a parliamentary committee. Between now and then, Tremblay will use his enormous publicity machinery — taxpayer-funded and supported by interested businesses — to damage the suburbs’ case.

It is important that is opposed and that we get a fair hearing in the media as well as parliament. That’s where some dedicated citizens could play a major role. Who will step forward to play the kind of leadership roles that Kell Warshaw, Doug McDougall and Maria Tutino took in the demerger fights?

The take-charge person of the government’s reform was not Normandeau but Raymond Bachand, the economic development and tourism minister, who is also responsible for Montreal in the cabinet.

Bachand’s plan

He hoped that Tremblay and the suburbs would agree on changes. That largely failed and he is behind the proposals made by the government. Even more, he strongly defended them.

Tremblay’s emotional reaction to the proposals — particularly the low-cost Secretariat — was echoed in the French media, particularly in Le Devoir.

Bachand personally called editors and producers to put his case. It is not unprecedented, but it is rare for a minister to call the media himself!

‘Button crisis’

For instance, he told Le Devoir that Tremblay’s anger over the Secretariat was “an unjustified crisis of buttons.” Small potatoes, he might have said!

“Added the minister: All the democratic Parliaments in the world have the protection of the minority as an objective.

“The force of his reaction makes me say that we were right. The attitude with which the Town of Montreal treats the other mayors justifies a small secretariat.”

Another francophone Liberal speaking out for the suburbs is a joy to behold!

One MNA who has done so many times is Westmount’s representative, Jacques Chagnon, who is now deeply involved in his new duties as deputy speaker.

He doesn’t make partisan speeches, but attended the recent meeting with Bachand and the Montreal caucus that led to the current proposals and afterwards reported on the situation to Mayor Karin Marks.

Of course, his riding duties continue. This week he represented Normandeau — who is also Housing Minister — at the opening of two public housing projects in the downtown part of the riding.



Chagnon to COPA

Last weekend, he was in Los Angeles for his first meeting as the Quebec member of the executive of the Copa de las Americas — in English, the Parliamentary Confederation of the Americas.

There are 300 parliaments and affiliates who are members of COPA.

“It is essential I speak Spanish there,” Chagnon told me, “so taking lessons will be my summer job!”

However, in view of the COPA commitment, he has relinquished his role as a delegate to the Francophonie organization.

Today, as part of his speaker duties, Chagnon will be in Quebec City to host and present bursaries to young Quebecers as chair of the Fondation Jean-Charles-Bonenfant.

Funded by Alcan and other industries, the foundation encourages young people to take part in democracy and supports youth parliaments in schools.



• Community activist Don Wedge can be reached at calert@web.net. His columns are archived at www.westmountexaminer.com, go to Opinion.