Mayor of Mascouche Also Resigns Amidst Corruption Allegations

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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Another mayor entangled in the Quebec’s corruption inquiry has announced to leave his long-held office finally. The mayor of Mascouche, north of Montreal, Richard Marcotte, has announced to resign from his after two decades of service. Mr. Marcotte was among the 15 suspects initially arrested in April by Quebec’s anti-corruption unit, due to the allegations of fake invoices, kickbacks, vote buying and fraud.

Marcotte made the announcement of his resignation during an interview to a local newspaper, Le Trait d’union, today. The spokesperson of Mr. Marcotte’s office declared that there is no other announcement except the statements quoted to the Trait d’union’s article. Mr. Marcotte blatantly refused to resign from his position at the time he was charged. The newspaper interview stated that the 65-year-old mayor has made the decision of resigning because his son-in-law was ailing, though he did also confess that he is also concerned about the upcoming provincial legislation.

This upcoming legislation, namely Quebec’s Bill 10, is empowering the judges to order the suspension of municipal politicians who are charged with offences that can result in sentences of two years or more. During the interview, Mr. Marcotte claimed credit of changing the once-sleepy suburb under his tenure. He gloated that “It’s 22 years of my life I am leaving. What was Mascouche 22 years ago? I was the mastermind of the city’s development.”

Previously the Mayor of Montreal, Gérald Tremblay, resigned after the Charbonneau inquiry heard testimonies which accused his party of receiving kickbacks from construction entrepreneurs. Gilles Vaillancourt, Mayor of Laval, was the second mayor to resign.