MRC Pontiac threatens legal action in response to Facebook commentary

MRC Pontiac threatens legal action in response to Facebook commentary

At the most recent MRC Pontiac council of mayors meeting on November 22, council approved a resolution approving potential legal action against a person for making comments on Facebook in October that they say were “defamatory, tendentious and derogatory”. The resolution authorizes the law firm RPGL avocats S.E.N.C.R.L to “take all necessary steps to, among other things, put an end to such comments about itself and its employees, and to request the retraction of these comments.” It also authorizes MRC Director General Kim Lesage to sign for and act in the name of the MRC for any documentation relating to these actions.

This is the second time that the MRC has threatened legal action against citizens for social media posts this council term, as formal notices were issued to two people back in December 2022.

While the MRC resolution didn’t name the subject of this latest legal notice, it was issued to Pat Goyette on November 2, for comments he made on the Pontiac Independent Facebook group, where he is one of the administrators. He posted a copy of the notice to the group, which is available here. It states that he questioned why an MRC employee was issued a Visa card and questioned whether there might be some kind of malfeasance afoot. Goyette published a retraction to the Facebook group after receiving the notice.

In the notice, lawyer François Simard states for the record that the employee was issued the card to pay for various expenses in the performance of their duties.

Goyette was one of the subjects of the notices issued in December 2022, and was known to submit numerous questions critical of the MRC and council until the MRC eliminated electronic submissions of questions in June of this year.

Lesage wrote in an email that while everyone is free to express themselves and criticize the government, they felt these particular comments crossed a line.

“Some statements were aimed at attacking the integrity, transparency and competence of the MRC, its warden, certain members of the council of mayors, or certain employees,” she wrote. “Others were of a defamatory nature aimed at an MRC Pontiac employee.”

“The MRC fully recognises everyone’s right to freedom of expression. It will not tolerate, however, statements that are intended to harm the reputation of the MRC and of its employees, or unreasonable and excessive publications and posts that call into question (directly or indirectly) the integrity and transparency of the MRC and of its employees,” she added. “Anyone who wishes to participate in the public debate is welcome to do so, but this must be done in accordance with the requirements of acting in good faith.”