WHEREAS the principle
of effective municipal representation has existed in our Quebec
and Canadian municipal governments for more than one hundred years, and
WHEREAS citizens in many Quebec
municipalities have had no direct say in the recent forced amalgamation
of their cities, and
WHEREAS the provincial government by
regulation and legislation forced the recent amalgamations against the
will of the obvious majority of the people, and
WHEREAS the
provincial government has not delivered the promised streamlined, more
efficient and accountable local government, nor the provision of better
services at reduced costs, and
WHEREAS the promise of tax
decreases have not been met, based on current assessments,
and
WHEREAS the expected transition costs to taxpayers of the
forced amalgamations have in all cases exceeded the promised
amount, and
WHEREAS a bureaucratic,
dictatorial and single-tier governance has been coerced on Quebec
citizens by the provincial government, and
WHEREAS the citizens of Quebec
are searching for change that will enable the Province of Quebec to
preserve what is cherished and for new arrangements that will serve as a
blueprint for the future,
BE IT RESOLVED that we the
undersigned demand that present and future Quebec governments respect
well established internationally accepted and fundamental principles of
democracy by:
ADOPTING
AND ENSHRINING THESE PRINCIPLES IN THE QUEBEC CONSTITUTION TO RECOGNIZE
THE UNALIENABLE RIGHT OF CITIZENS TO EFFECTIVE MUNICIPAL POLITICAL
REPRESENTATION AND TO DEMOCRATIC LOCAL SELF
GOVERNMENT.