A disagreement over whether Casselman should issue a press release about a commemorative rose planting led to a brief debate during the municipality’s September 8 council meeting, with Mayor Geneviève Lajoie and Councillor Sylvain Cléroux expressing different views on the role of municipal communications.

Lajoie brought forward a notice of motion asking the municipality to publish a press release in support of a ribbon-cutting ceremony for rose bushes planted at the Parc des Aînés in memory of women and children who have lost their lives to violence.

The ceremony was organized in partnership with Centre Novas CALACS and regional partners and took place September 23.

During the council meeting, Cléroux questioned whether a press release was necessary. The motion was subsequently put to a vote, with Cléroux the only member of council to vote against it.

The disagreement did not concern whether the rose bushes should be planted, but rather whether municipal resources should be used to publicly promote the initiative.

Different views on municipal communications

In an interview following the ceremony, Lajoie said she had not discussed the motion with council members before bringing it forward and was not expecting the reaction it received.

“I thought it was a simple request because it had nothing to do with the budget, and the staff time was minimal,” she said, describing the request as essentially being for a press release.

Lajoie said the request had been made in consultation with Centre Novas CALACS because the organization wanted municipal support for the initiative.

“It was important for them to have the municipal backing and it not just be me,” she said. “So that was my way of involving council and ensuring that they were represented in this as well, not just me taking the spotlight.”

Following the meeting, Lajoie published a Facebook statement defending the decision to issue the press release. She said the commemorative roses were intended to honour women and children who had died as a result of violence and to draw attention to violence against women and children.

Lajoie described the ceremony as an opportunity to remember those who died, support survivors and families, and highlight the work of organizations addressing violence.

She also criticized the suggestion that the municipality could be doing “too much” by supporting the initiative.

In her interview, Lajoie said the experience would not change the way she brings forward motions. She explained that she prefers to introduce motions publicly rather than securing support from council members beforehand.

“I bring my motion to the table, and the first time the public sees it is the first time our council sees it,” she said. “They have two weeks where they can ask me questions. They have two weeks to do research.”

She said councillors can also propose amendments or changes before a vote.

“I’m always open to that because that’s what teamwork is and collaboration,” she said.

Cléroux says rose planting and press release were separate issues

Cléroux said his opposition was not to the rose planting itself.

According to Cléroux, council had already discussed and approved the planting during previous meetings. The municipality’s existing landscaping contract allowed for a rose bush to be planted at Parc des Aînés as a symbolic gesture commemorating women killed through violence, including the victims of the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre.

“It is indeed a beautiful symbolic gesture that the municipality made,” Cléroux said.

His concern was specifically about using municipal resources for a press release to promote the planting.

“I found that issuing a press release put as much, if not more, resources into sharing the information than into the symbolic gesture that the municipality made,” he said.

Cléroux said he was concerned that some seniors who had personally experienced the consequences of violence might perceive the municipality’s public announcement as placing too much emphasis on the municipality’s role in the gesture.

He also questioned whether the municipality was effectively duplicating its commemorative efforts, given the annual December 6 commemoration of the École Polytechnique tragedy.

“If we double the efforts to highlight the tragedy of our femicides, why not do the same thing for other people and other groups who are seeking equity?” Cléroux said, citing groups including LGBTQ+ people, seniors and people experiencing homelessness.

For him, the issue was not the symbolic gesture itself, but what he considered to be a disproportionate use of resources to promote it.

Cléroux says he supports the commemoration

Cléroux emphasized that he was not opposed to the rose being planted at the park or to commemorating the victims of the 1989 tragedy.

“For me, the file is closed,” he said. “I think it’s important. It is a beautiful symbolic gesture that we made.”

He said he would have preferred for the municipality to consult an organization representing victims, families or people affected by femicide before deciding how the initiative should be presented publicly.

He acknowledged that Centre Novas CALACS is involved in the December 6 commemoration, but said he had not personally discussed the rose planting with the organization.

Cléroux said his vote against the motion was therefore related to the resources associated with the municipal communications effort rather than opposition to the memorial itself.

“I have nothing against the planting of the rose, nor against commemorating the tragedy of 1989,” he said.

Following the vote, the commemorative ceremony proceeded as planned on September 23.

Lajoie said she has not had any subsequent discussions with council members about the disagreement. She said she received positive feedback from members of the public following her Facebook statement.

She also said the experience reinforced the importance of respecting differing opinions around the council table.

“I think the biggest thing I’ve taken forward is to just respect people’s ideas because not everybody thinks the same way that I do,” Lajoie said. “And that’s okay.”

The rose bushes now form part of the commemorative space at Parc des Aînés, where the municipality and community partners can continue to use the site to remember victims of violence and raise awareness about the issue.