The Conseil provincial du secteur municipal (CPSM) of CUPE wishes to point out to Andrée Laforest, the Minister of Municipal Affairs, that municipally elected officials are not the only ones subjected to a toxic working environment in some cities, towns and municipalities across Quebec. It also has an impact on other municipal employees.
“The events experienced by municipally elected officials are not happening in isolation. It is important to assess the current situation in its entirety to come up with solutions that will make for a healthy working environment for everyone,” said Robin Côté, president of the CPSM.
The CPSM salutes the assistance that will be extended to municipal representatives, which Minister Laforest announced, to deal with the problem of unhealthy working environments in municipal offices. The CPSM, however, does wish to point out that employees are also the targets of incivility, bullying and psychological, discriminatory and/or sexual harassment. The time has come for action to raise awareness and implement concrete measures for all civilian actors, i.e., employers, employees, and citizens.