In the context of an ultra-majority CAQ government, the Union of Quebec Municipalities (UMQ) does not intend to play the role of unofficial opposition. On the other hand, the municipal world warns that tax revenues must be better distributed in order to fight inflation effectively.
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Daniel Côté, President of the UMQ and Mayor of Gaspé, pointed this out to the Journal in a retrospective interview at the end of the year.
“Quebec’s communities are partners with the Quebec government. Our role is not to be in opposition. But do we agree on everything? no Especially when it comes to local taxation and tax revenue sharing according to our actual responsibilities. There’s a big gap in our positions,” he said.
The latter therefore regretted “the great imbalance” between budgetary realities: “Thanks to inflation, the government of Québec generates additional income of 14 billion dollars. Although they have expenses, they have so much extra income that they could afford to distribute checks to more than 6 million citizens. For municipalities, inflation will cost us $1 billion more in 2022. We can simply give our citizens tax increases. »
Tax Pact and Green Pact
To combat this reality, the UMQ expects the CAQ to quickly deliver on its electoral commitment to include legislation sharing a QST point with cities. “We want to collect this profit at the beginning of the year. [2023]. This is a premise for negotiating the next fiscal compact,” added the President of the UMQ.
Alongside the tax pact, which expires on December 31, 2024, Mr Côté insisted on the Green Pact, which aims to allow cities to start adapting their infrastructure to climate change. Demand is estimated at $2 billion per year over a minimum of five years. The federal government will also have to dig into its pockets, he specified.
Communal Autonomy
True to UMQ’s rhetoric, Daniel Côté reiterated that cities want to be seen as “local governments” and not simply “creatures of the Quebec government”. In the spring of 2022, the brief standoff between the Legault government and the Marchand administration over the streetcar made it possible to illustrate everything that the provincial level should not be doing.
“In this case, it was painful to see the Quebec government encroaching directly on an area of municipal responsibility for land-use planning,” he recalled. When everyone is exploring their own area of expertise, it usually helps to have healthy relationships. »
The order of things
In May 2023, during the Assises de l’UMQ in Gatineau, Daniel Côté theoretically has the right to return to the helm of the organization for another year. But tradition has it that he relinquishes his seat at the end of his two terms.
Despite being very attached to the organization’s traditions, the mayor of Gaspé has not completely closed the door to a new mandate should the UMQ board decide to do so.
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