Miron reinstated as deputy mayor of Gatineau

Taylor Clark

L’Orée-du-Parc district councillor Isabelle N. Miron will return to her role as deputy mayor after her appointment was unanimously accepted during a session on February 27.

“By suggesting that Miron resume her duties as deputy mayor, I want to send a clear message that our council will be an inclusive place and a respectful place, that women around the table are welcome, and that politics is for everyone,” said acting interim mayor Daniel Champagne.

In the time he will occupy the position, Champagne assured he would do everything in his power to ensure all discussions take place with respect and everyone feels welcome.

“In Gatineau, we have adopted (a gender equality policy) precisely to ensure that our political bodies, but also our administrative bodies, are representative of the Gatineau community.” A policy both Champagne and Miron contributed to before its adoption by the municipal council in 2021.

Miron returns to the position after being stripped of the duty in early February by former mayor France Bélisle.

“When I was acting mayor before, I really did it with complete objectivity. I do not play partisan politics when I represent the City, and that is very important to me,” said Miron. “As Mr. Champagne has committed to doing, I too will be as neutral as possible in my functions as deputy mayor.”

While Miron said she had no intention of throwing her hat in the ring for mayor, she hoped women would step forward for the position.

But like Bélisle, countless municipal officials are faced with harassment and intimidation. According to the Union of Municipalities of Quebec, around 10 per cent of officials have left their position since the last municipal election in 2021, an unprecedented situation for the province.

To combat the alarming findings, the Union of Municipalities of Quebec organized a committee on municipal democracy at the beginning of this year. 

“We are working on concrete and ambitious proposals to promote the importance of local democracy and healthy and respectful debates. We are in action and mobilized, to promote commitment, to promote the essential involvement of municipal elected officials throughout Quebec,” wrote Julie Bourdon, president of the committee on municipal democracy and mayor of Granby.

The Council of Elected Women of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador is also striving for change in Quebec’s political realm. Comprised of all female Chiefs and councillors among the First Nations communities in Quebec and Labrador, the Council has developed and is implementing the principle and applications of Lateral Kindness at all levels of First Nations governance and in the aftermath of Bélisle’s resignation’s wish to promote the concept to all elected officials in Quebec.

“Everywhere in our societies, the intimidation of elected officials is compromising sound governance … We must put a stop to this. Politics are often very harsh but should never be brutal. Above all, politics must never, ever be used as a pretext for contempt towards women or any other targeted group,” councillor Nadia Robertson wrote in a press release.

The Council aims to have a discussion on Lateral Kindness included in the agenda for the next meeting of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador with the mayors of Quebec.

“I am very attentive to what happens next, and I invite my colleagues throughout Quebec to do the same,” said Champagne. “It is our collective responsibility to ensure that all elected officials can carry out their duties with peace of mind.”

Photo caption: Isabelle N. Miron says she will remain objective as she returns to her role as deputy mayor of Gatineau.

Photo credit: Screenshot from Séance spéciale on February 27