An opposition elected representative at Quebec City Hall has filed a complaint denouncing a “toxic climate” at Quebec City Hall, saying she doesn't feel safe.
Alicia Despins, member of the official opposition from Quebec First, filed a complaint with the Quebec Municipal Commission (CMQ). We were able to view the acknowledgment of receipt of this complaint at the CMQ.
Ms. Despins states that the complaint is directed against Mayor Bruno Marchand's chief of staff, Clément Laberge, whom she accuses of failing to act in the last two years. This despite, as she said, “he has been made aware of various situations, in particular violence, aggression, harassment and recently an altercation between two elected officials in the hallway of City Hall, involving one of the elected officials from the mayor's team was involved.” .
Ms. Despins claims that there have been several events in recent months involving elected officials from the mayor's team. It affects her sense of security, she says.
Unpleasant experiences
“I can’t say I feel particularly safe in town hall. My colleagues will tell you that we try never to walk around alone too much. I’ve had some unpleasant experiences.”
She recounts an incident in which an elected official followed her between her car and her office to “yell at her” about a community issue, or another incident in which an elected official made aggressive gestures in the council chambers. She made it clear that she had never received any threats from Bruno Marchand.
For her boss Claude Villeneuve, “there’s something malicious about it.” It’s always small events that turn us upside down. We will not report this to the police. But what we're dealing with is a team that, preferably when the cameras aren't watching, is trying to use its presence to intimidate an elected official. He believes it’s a “culture within the mayor’s team.”
No reaction
At CMQ, spokeswoman Anne-Julie Lefebvre said only: “Because the commission's processing of disclosures is confidential, it is impossible for us to confirm or deny the existence of a disclosure or investigation relating to an elected official, community or organization. “ '.
The spokesman for the mayor's office, Thomas Gaudreault, did not want to respond to the opposition's allegations.
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