Unions threaten legal action against Quebec City over removal of signs

A group of Quebec unions is threatening to take Quebec City to court over a battle around censorship.

The city has taken down 200 pre-election posters put up in the Capitale-Nationale by a group representing six unions and over 100,000 workers. The signs attack both the Liberals and CAQ, who the unions say would both be bad for union employees.

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The city says the posters break a municipal bylaw that outlaws advertising. It makes an exception for political ads, but only during the official campaign, which doesn’t start for another five weeks.

However, the unions say taking down the signs interferes with their freedom of speech.

“For us, for our members, this is the time for us to speak and we’re going to be loud about this,” said Marc Ranger, the Quebec regional director for the Canadian Public Service Union (SCFP).

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“We will take this to court, that’s for sure,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We will take this to court, that's for sure," he said.

Ranger explained that other posters were left up along the same streets. He said that while ads from political parties might be contained to the official campaign period from August 30th to October 1st, unions want to create a discussion around political issues now.

“We are entitled to do this, and the right time to do it is before the election, so the debate can follow,” Ranger said.

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He added that the unions plan to put the signs back up. City hall, meanwhile, declined an interview because the issue could go to court.