Voter of the day | “There are a lot of people resistant to change”

As the municipal elections of November 2 approach, The Press surveys Quebecers from all regions to find out their concerns.

Are you following the campaign?

Yes, especially through the news and neighborhood groups on Facebook. Recently, I went to a City information session about the major work that will be carried out on my street. This is where I really became aware of certain communication issues between the City and citizens.

What is the issue that concerns you the most?

It is the voting method that frustrates me the most, even if it is more of a provincial issue than a municipal one. The Legault government was elected with barely 40% of the votes, and yet it has a majority and does what it wants. Trudeau promised to change the voting system, then once elected, he did nothing. Legault completely burned the paper he had signed with the other parties, saying that it was just a couple of intellectuals who were interested in it.

At the municipal level, what concerns me is communication. Here, they are going to redo our street – a project they have been working on since 2021 – but they haven’t notified anyone. They just started the work, then they sent us a notice. At the briefing, officials came to speak to us; not elected officials. It’s the majority government syndrome: we don’t consult, it’s let’s go, we do what we want.

Are you satisfied with the work of outgoing mayor Catherine Fournier?

Generally, I can’t say I’m unhappy. We are well served in Longueuil. In summer, I take advantage of the facilities with my children: the public swimming pools, the parks are well maintained. I admire certain difficult decisions, like the deer in Michel-Chartrand Park that had to be killed. It shocked people, but they moved on.

I feel like it’s more positive than negative in general. Otherwise there would be more opposition. They work to revitalize and green the city. It may not be happening fast enough, but there are a lot of people resistant to change.

Do you feel a certain electoral fatigue?

I would like that, to not give a damn, about elections, but I’m not capable of it. It comes for me personally. I would rather vote for a marginal party than not vote at all, at least to show that there are people who vote against the best represented parties.

Even though many things frustrate me, I’m the optimistic type. I think we need to relearn, as a society, how to talk to each other. Because social networks have created this polarization. If there was more communication from governments, there would be a better understanding of projects and better citizen participation.

For the sake of clarity and conciseness, the testimony has been slightly edited.