Responsible Government, Responsive Employees

"The events that went on during the city council meeting have raised a doubt regarding the [officers'] ability to do their job in a neutral way and with the professionalism expected by the population."
"The strategies and the choices that were made on the security front weakened us."
"There are not two classes of protesters. If criminal acts were committed, then we will take action."
Montreal Police Chief Marc Parent

Union leaders are distancing themselves from Monday’s protest at city hall and are expected to rein in members to prevent a repeat. -- photo Leader-Post

Hundreds of firefighters and other municipal workers protested pension reform and did that through violence and a near riot inside Montreal city hall on Monday evening. The police force stood disinterestedly by as mayhem went on around them. They were themselves dressed not in normal police uniforms but in more casual garb in an expression of their own defiance against pension reform which would have public workers paying 50% of the share of their pensions and untie the pensions from inflation.

The decision to permit 250 protesters to enter city hall should have been changed, says Chief Parent, when it became evident that the protest on the exterior was getting out of hand. "Why weren't there more resources inside? Once they were inside, it is hard to get them out. Last night, I questioned our operational strategy", he said. Some police officers did intervene, he said, including two who attempted to close the side door of city hall to exclude protesters.

This summer, municipal workers in Montreal; firefighters, bus drivers and police have used all manner of troubling tactics in opposition of a bill whose purpose is to resolve a $3.9-billion municipal pension deficit. Bill 3, a Liberal proposal to make employee-employer contributions equal, cancel automatic indexation for retirees and require pension plan members and taxpayers to share the cost of cleaning up the deficit is wildly unpopular.

Storming the building just minutes before an evening council session, firefighters and other municipal employees forced their way past security guards, pounded on doors, tossed paper around, sprayed water at city councillors, blew horns and attempted to track down Mayor Denis Coderre, who had to be shuffled from room to room to avoid the protesters. Mr. Coderre later said: "on the side where my office is located there was none", police officers to be seen to take control of the situation.

Police watch as protesters supporting the firefighter’s union and other municipal workers demonstrate outside the Montreal City Hall building in protest of the proposed Bill 3, a pension reform bill, in Montreal on Monday, August 18, 2014.  Photograph by: Dario Ayala , The Gazette

 

Montreal's civic workers have perks and benefits beyond the norm for most Canadians. They earn 38% more in pay and benefits than other Quebecers on the public payroll; firefighters pay 30% of their pension contributions while the city pays 70%. Police pay a mere 24% and are able to retire after 30 years on 80% of salaries that average in the range of $75,000. People live longer, quit earlier; retirees now collect pensions for about 30 years on average while a generation earlier it was 16 years.

What has happened in Montreal gives Quebec Liberal Premier Philippe Couillard a heads-up taste of just what he can expect as he attempts to implement tough measures to deal with budget problems in his province. Unions have immense clout and all the governments that preceded Mr. Couillard made an effort to cut back on perquisites for public employees only to come up against a brick wall of protests so vehement they all backed off.

As for the mess that Monday's violent protest left behind in city hall, Mayor Coderre insists the city won't pay for the clean-up. "It will be the unions that will pay ... not the citizens", he said. Workers could be suspended or laid off for taking part in the protest. A demonstration badly needed, that public employ carries no right to a protected and privileged lifestyle, let alone immunity from strained budgets; nor does it confer the right to break laws.