Quebec municipalities federation makes its demands for provincial political parties

On the eve of the provincial election call in Quebec, the Quebec federation of municipalities (FQM) is presenting its demands regarding the main issues in the province's regions.

The federation hopes that the next government will take into consideration its important needs for their development.

The FQM has presented nine demands -- resulting from consultations in which more than 1,000 people participated -- to the various political parties in the hope that certain points will be included in their electoral platforms.

"This is the request of their citizens, their (voters) from all over Quebec," said FQM President Jacques Demers. "It's not a grocery list with very high demands... That's why I think each party should be able to take large chunks.

"Now that we have fiberoptics everywhere, we have to complete the cell phone network."

The FQM president said that "there is not a region" that does not have an area where the cellular network has difficulty penetrating.

He believes that having a reliable and extensive cell phone network is important for the safety of the population.

"We don't have pagers anymore, [so] our firefighters, our ambulance drivers need to have cell phones that work," said Demers.

He added that people also need to be able to communicate when their car breaks down, or there is a road accident.

One of the FQM's nine demands relates to housing.

According to a document from the federation, "successive governments have never fulfilled their promises regarding social, community and affordable housing."

Demers, who is also the mayor of Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley, said affordable housing is still being talked about but not defined.

"The market has caught fire in the regions in recent years," he said, adding that it is very difficult, especially for young people, to buy a house or apartment.

He also said that the regions are at risk of losing businesses because people who would be willing to come to work don't have housing.

"This is an emergency issue," he said.

According to the FQM, "the government must provide significant financial support to allow the construction of affordable housing in the regions of Quebec, taking into account the construction costs that can be observed locally."

In addition, the FQM feels the MRCs must have the legislative and financial means to plan for housing needs.

Moreover, although the labour shortage affects all of Quebec, Demers believes that in the regions the risk of completely losing many businesses rooted in the community is greater.

He is asking that immigration to the regions be encouraged, particularly by relaxing immigration rules, for example, with respect to the qualification of international workers and by welcoming more foreign students.

STATE DECENTRALIZATION

The FQM criticized the fact that public administration in Quebec is concentrated mainly in the Quebec City and Montreal areas.

It would like to see leaders in decision-making positions located in the regions.

Demers thinks that many ministries such as Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources should be closer to the regions.

"It takes people who are on the ground, and not just people in offices located hundreds of kilometres away," he said. "We need people who live in our communities and who bring our problems to the level of decision-makers because they know them, because they are on the ground."

State centralization also brings a problem with regard to proximity service, Demers said.

Very often, he added, smaller services are closed due to a lack of employees or another reason to fill needs in other regions.

The FQM president believes that a principle should be adopted that favours a minimum of services.

The FQM is asking that a project be launched to ensure the sustainability of local services and businesses by, among other things, setting up local investment funds and a support program to ensure the existence of basic local businesses in the villages.

Furthermore, although municipalities want to get involved in the fight against climate change, they lack the tools at their disposal.

Demers believes that public transportation, including transportation from one region to another, is needed. He also called for a green infrastructure funding program.

The FQM has forwarded all of its demands to the various political party leaders. They will have the opportunity to make their intentions known on Sept. 22 during the FQM Congress, where some 2,000 people from the municipal world will be attending.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Aug. 21, 2022.