Longueuil mayor slashes her own annual salary, saying it's 'common sense'

MONTREAL -

Longueuil's new mayor, Catherine Fournier, has just given herself a pay cut, saying she wanted to act quickly on her campaign promise.

"As I mentioned during the election campaign, the salary of the mayor of Longueuil has been the subject of much discussion in recent years," she said. "I share the opinion of the population that it is inconceivable that this salary is higher than that of the premier of Quebec and that of the mayor of Montreal."

Longueuil city council tabled the motion for a bylaw in regards to the remuneration of elected officials on Tuesday night.

Fournier's paycheque will be reduced by $65,000, reaching a ceiling of $185,000 annually.

"It is a matter of common sense," she said. "I believe this is a first step in restoring and increasing the confidence of citizens in their municipal democratic institutions."

Fournier notes the money will be redistributed into the city's budget, pointing out the province as a whole could benefit from a conversation about salary for elected officials.

"I believe that we must be careful not to devalue elected offices in the wake of this decision," she said. "Many mayors of small municipalities earn a purely symbolic salary, yet they do considerable work on a daily basis and are accountable to the public."

The mayor of Longueuil was previously the highest-paid elected official in Quebec, with a salary of close to $250,000 per year.

Fournier is the third female mayor in the City of Longueuil's history.

She was previously a member of the National Assembly, representing the electoral district of Marie-Victorin.

She was originally a member of the Parti Québécois (PQ), but chose to later sit as an independent, saying the party had lost its way ideologically.

Fournier, who was the youngest member of the National Assembly, still considers herself a committed sovereigntist.