2025 federal election

Duclos, Deltell clash over tramway, third link in local debate

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Duclos, Deltell clash over tramway, third link in local debate

Peter Black, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

peterblack@qctonline.com

The future of Quebec City’s transit was a flash- point between Liberal and Conservative candidates in a debate on local issues organized by Radio-Canada on April 15.

With Téléjournal host Bruno Savard serving as moderator, the debate was a 45-minute exchange between Liberal incumbent for Québec-Centre Jean-Yves Duclos, Bloc Québécois challenger Simon Bérubé, New Democrat Tommy Bureau, running for the third time in the downtown riding, and Conservative Gérard Deltell, the incumbent MP for the Louis- Saint-Laurent–Akiawenhrahk riding.

Deltell represented the Conservatives in the absence of a candidate for the party in Québec-Centre. The intended candidate, Chanie Thériault, had been disqualified for not having filed required documents on time.

The debate was divided into two themes: the economy and mobility. A third segment at the end of the debate featured recorded questions from voters.

While there was a certain amount of back-and-forth about the financing and building of housing in the city, the debate over the two major transit projects in the works – the tramway and the third link – generated sharp confrontations between Duclos and Deltell, both veteran MPs first elected in 2015.

The showdown started with a question from Savard to Duclos, asking whether the federal government was prepared to pay 40 per cent of the cost of the tramway as the Quebec government expects, and, also, if Ottawa is an “ally” of the project, why the $1.5 billion it promised for the tramway was not made official before the election was called.

Duclos responded by listing the economic benefits of the tramway, including an estimated 20,000 construction jobs and stimulated investments of $500 million a year. He then challenged Deltell to answer whether a Conservative government would cancel Montreal’s blue line Metro project like leader Pierre Poilievre said he would do for Quebec City’s tramway.

Duclos said Poilievre wants to take the money for Quebec City’s project and invest in transit in his hometown of Calgary.

Savard then asked Deltell what the Conservatives would propose instead of a “structured” transit system for Quebec City. Deltell said the tramway does not have social acceptance, while the third link bridge project between Quebec City and Lévis does.

Deltell said to Duclos, “I find it really unfortunate that you keep repeating, repeating, repeating a lie. The $1.4 billion will stay in Quebec; is that clear? In Quebec, when Mr. Duclos says that he [Poilievre] is going to steal it from us, that’s a lie.”

When asked about the tramway, Bloc candidate Bérubé said, “There is a bad habit of both parties, which is to interfere in mobility projects here in Quebec. When Quebec decides to move forward with a project, the federal government’s role is simply to provide the money, without interfering in the design or form of the project.”

When Savard later asked whether Duclos supported the third link project, the Liberal MP opted to mention that a $3-billion fund would be available from the federal government to provide additional support for the tramway.

In an ensuing exchange with Deltell, the Conservative asked Duclos why he supports a project the people don’t want.

He then challenged the former minister to declare whether he supported the third link project. “I know you were a political lieutenant in Quebec, but [Liberal Leader] Mr. [Mark] Carney kicked you out. You’re a Quebec MP. Are you for or against the third link? It’s not a venereal disease; are you for or against? Duclos replied that federal funding depends on whether there is a public transit component to the bridge, but the Quebec government has not yet provided “a plan, a route nor a budget.”

The NDP’s Bureau said, regarding the tramway, “The money [from the federal government] should have been giv- en a long time ago to Quebec, which wants this project. And as for Mr. Deltell, I can’t wait to see what you’re going to do with the $1.4 billion. I’m expecting reserved lanes for F150s [pickup trucks].”

In the section for questions from the public via video, Sandra Nodari, a Brazilian immigrant and postdoctoral student at UQAM, asked the candidates how they would “address immigration issues without causing hardship for immigrants who are already well-established in housing, working and doing well?”

Duclos said, “Immigration is good for Quebec, it’s good for Canada; our diversity is a source of strength and pride. … We need to better recognize their expertise, including in health, but that’s done with the Quebec government. It’s not the federal government that will decide these things. The same goes for integration and francisation.”

Deltell, who noted he is the son of immigrants, said, “We currently have 20,000 doctors from abroad who are not yet recognized, and 30,000 nurses. We need this staff. We need all this talent that will meet our needs … We are committed to accelerating the process to en- able successful immigration.”

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South Shore candidates face series of challenges

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South Shore candidates face series of challenges 

Manuel Cardenas, Lévis correspondent

manuel@qctonline.com

Just days before the federal election, voters in the ridings of Bellechasse–Les Etchemins– Lévis, Lévis–Lotbinière and Mégantic–L’Érable were presented with new options regarding the candidates in their constituencies. The QCT spoke with five South Shore candidates to learn more about their commitments to the local population.

Three candidates from the Conservative Party, the Liberal Party and the Bloc Québécois in Bellechasse–Les Etchemins–Lévis expressed con- fidence that they were the person for the job.

Conservative candidate and incumbent Dominique Vien said, “Having served 15 years as MNA for Bellechasse at the National Assembly, including nearly 10 as a minister, and having headed four ministries, public governance is some- thing I know well. I also know what it’s like to be an elected official. I’m a native of Lévis and was also raised in Belle- chasse, so I know the riding I now represent very well. That experience alone prepares me well. I’m familiar with the English-speaking community on the ground, and I often meet them at various events. It’s a proud community, a very vibrant one in our region.”

Liberal candidate Glenn O’Farrell said, “The farm and the farmhouse that I own in Saint-Malachie have been in my family for five generations. That’s what allowed me to connect with the English-speaking community in my riding. I’m the fifth generation involved with that property, so we have deep roots, and I think what will help me most is that, through those roots, family ties and friendships, I understand how people are.”

Bloc candidate Gaby Breton emphasized, “I grew up in Bellechasse, then completed a bachelor’s [degree] in sociology and a master’s degree in administration, specialized in international project management and co-operative management, which led me to an international career promoting the co-operative model. I’ve worked extensively with communities to make them autonomous and independent. I have a strong understanding of geopolitics and speak several languages, which allows me to understand various realities, including that of the English- speaking community.”

Vien criticized former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s government for its handling of temporary foreign workers, which she believes limits access to essential labour for many local businesses. She also called for Canadian energy independence through the development of pipeline projects and mining. She expressed her support for the proposed third link project.

O’Farrell, for his part, emphasized that the most important issue is ensuring citizens of his riding are represented in the federal government, not in the opposition, which he said has been the case for the past 10 years under the Conservatives, preventing locals from having a real voice.

Breton stressed her desire for the federal government to respect Quebec’s choices and invest in Lévis. She said she wanted to improve services for seniors, protect local agriculture and the St. Lawrence River, promote sustainable mobility, and tailor immigration to regional needs.

In addition to Breton, O’Farrell and Vien, the candidates in the riding are Mario Fréchette of the People’s Party of Canada (PPC) and Marie-Philippe Gagnon-Gauthier of the NDP. Polling website 338Canada rates Bellechasse–Les Etchemins–Lévis a safe Conservative seat.

In the riding of Lévis–Lotbinière, Conservative candidate and incumbent Jacques Gourde voiced his support for the third link project.

“Our riding sits at the foot of the bridges, and we’re well positioned to understand the issues related to congestion. I believe this is a priority issue that must be addressed quickly,” said Gourde, who has represented the riding since 2006.

Gourde also expressed support for English-language education. “Many children in my riding attend English- language schools, and it’s very important they have that choice. It’s funded at both the provincial and federal levels, and we must always listen carefully to the needs of the riding,” he said.

Lévis–Lotbinière is considered a safe seat for the Conservatives. Five candidates are registered in the riding – Gourde, Molly Cornish of the NDP,  Ghislain Daigle of the Liberal Party, Pierre Julien of the Bloc Québécois and Pier-Olivier Roy of the PPC.

Finally, in the riding of Mégantic–L’Érable–Lotbinière, Conservative incumbent Luc Berthold prioritized the day-to-day concerns of his constituents.

“In this riding, as in many regions across Canada, the cost of living and the housing crisis are the citizens’ top concerns. Inflation caused by 10 years of Liberal overspending has made it harder for people to make ends meet. They want to keep more of their paycheque,” said Berthold.

He also highlighted the importance of the English-speaking community in the region.

“We’re fortunate to have an active English-speaking community in Chaudière-Appalaches, especially in Thetford Mines, with the presence of St. Patrick Elementary and A.S. Johnson Memorial High School. I regularly attend community events when I’m invit- ed, and I ensure that citizens receive all the services they’re entitled to, both through my office and federal agencies,” concluded Berthold.

Gabriel D’Astous of the NDP, Yves Gilbert of the Christian Heritage Party, Réjean Hurteau of the Bloc Québécois, Charles McKaig of the Liberal Party and Marek Spacek of the PPC are the other candidates in the riding. Like its neighbours, it is considered a safe Conservative seat.

With files from Ruby Pratka, LJI reporter

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Four party leaders share agendas at Montreal debates

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Four party leaders share agendas in debates 

Ruby Pratka, LJI reporter

The leaders of Canada’s four main political parties held two wide-ranging debates this past weekend at the Maison Radio-Canada in Montreal. The French-language debate on April 16 was moderated by Radio-Canada anchor Patrice Roy and the English debate the next evening by Steve Paikin, host of TVO’s The Agenda. 

The French-language debate was overshadowed by several controversies. Less than 24 hours before the debate, it was rescheduled to avoid a potential overlap with the end of a Montreal Canadiens game; the morning of the debate, Green Party co-leader Jonathan Pedneault was ruled ineligible on the morning of the debate because Elections Canada had not confirmed a sufficient number of Green candidates. The post-debate press conference attracted nationwide attention when several right-wing outlets asked contentious questions and NDP leader Jagmeet Singh declined to answer; the following day’s conference was cancelled after two arguments between reporters in the press room, leading Michel Cormier, the director general of the Leaders’ Debates’ Commission, to say the commission “could not ensure a propitious environment” for it. 

It was centered around five themes – cost of living, energy and climate, trade war, identity and sovereignty, and immigration. All four leaders linked the themes to their respective agendas. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre promised to cut taxes by 15 per cent, eliminate federal sales tax on new homes and reduce regulations to speed the building of houses and resource extraction projects such as mines, and linked Carney’s proposals to those of his predecessor, Justin Trudeau. Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet emphasized Quebec’s resource-based economy and cultural and linguistic distinctions; Liberal Leader and frontrunner Mark Carney emphasized the importance of crisis management and the necessity of countertariffs. Singh repeatedly brought up the health system (which Blanchet emphasized was under provincial jurisdiction) and emphasized the NDP’s role in creating the federal dental care program. Carney pledged to reduce taxes for the middle class but defended his decision to walk back a capital gains tax increase.

The trade war segment led to animated discussion. All of the leaders pledged to maintain supply management in the dairy sector, the French language and Canadian sovereignty, and build more homes.

They all weighed in on Quebec City’s tramway and the proposed “third link” between Quebec City and Lévis.  “Quebec City wants a tramway, the Quebec government wants a tramway, the federal government’s responsibility is to send them the money,” Blanchet said. Singh said the NDP supported the tramway but not the third link; Poilievre backed the third link but not the tramway, accusing his rivals of wanting to “ban cars.” Carney said the federal government would continue to support the tramway, but he couldn’t commit to supporting the third link because he hadn’t seen the project yet. 

Issues affecting Indigenous people and linguistic minorities were almost entirely off the agenda, except for Poilievre’s defence of Radio-Canada as a crucial link for francophone minority communities. (He defended his plan to defund CBC and made no mention of Indigenous broadcasting.) 

The English debate was centred around public safety, the cost of living, energy, crisis management and “tariffs and threats to Canada.” The four leaders agreed that U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade policies posed a threat to the country, and both Carney and Poilievre said they supported countertariffs, although not necessarily dollar-for-dollar tariffs. Poilievre criticized the previous Liberal government for weakening the economy and making it more difficult to build pipelines which he argued were essential for the country’s energy independence. Singh criticized the short-lived Carney government for walking back the capital gains tax increase while failing to increase EI. Blanchet argued that Carney’s and Poilievre’s plans for reducing red tape around pipelines and other energy sovereignty projects overrode provincial jurisdiction. 

Poilievre and Singh criticized the Liberals for the cost-of-living crisis. “Only 10 years ago, you could buy a house for $450,000, but in the lost Liberal decade, housing costs have doubled,” the Conservative leader said, saying a Conservative government would build houses on federal land and train thousands of tradespeople. His NDP counterpart suggested putting price controls on grocery staples and banning corporate landlords from buying affordable rental housing units. 

International affairs were also on the agenda, with Singh calling the conflict in Gaza a genocide, Carney calling for an immediate ceasefire and a resumption of aid, and Poilievre coming out in support of a two-state solution in Israel-Palestine.  

Toward the end of the debate, candidates discussed gun control, crime and the notwithstanding clause. Poilievre said his government would use the notwithstanding clause to enact tough-on-crime policies. “In fact, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms exists to protect Canadians from people like us on the stage, politicians who may use their power to override fundamental rights,” Carney argued, before the four leaders made their final pitch to voters. 

The full debate can be watched on the CBC website. Advance polls begin this week; the final day of voting is April 28.

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Conservatives lose candidate in Québec-Centre

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

Conservatives lose candidate in Québec-Centre

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

The Conservative Party will not be able to run a candidate in the downtown riding of Québec- Centre after candidate Chanie Thériault’s application was refused by Elections Canada.

Thériault and the Québec- Centre Conservative riding association both referred requests for comment to the party, which did not respond to a QCT interview request by press time; the area’s two local Conservative MPs, Gérard Deltell and Pierre Paul-Hus, also did not respond to requests for comment. However, Paul-Hus did attempt to explain Thériault’s situation to Radio-Canada.

Paul-Hus told the public broadcaster that Thériault’s candidacy had been refused because of a missing document.

“Chanie Thériault showed up with her documents on Monday [April 7, the last day on which parties could register candidates] with our regional organizer. She waited 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, the returning officer came to see her and said, ‘Congratulations, you’re going to be a candidate,’” Paul-Hus said. A day later, he said, Thériault learned her candidacy was being refused because of a missing document – an attestation from the official campaign agent. According to Elections Canada, candidates must submit a nomination package including a personal information form, proof of identity, a statement of support signed by 100 voters from the candidate’s riding, signed declarations from a campaign agent, auditor and delegate and a statement of endorsement from their party (unless running as an independent). The deadline to submit these documents was 2 p.m. on April 7.

Elections Canada spokesperson Serge Fleyfel said the agency did not comment on specific cases.

However, he said returning officers are tasked with reviewing a prospective candidate’s nomination documents to make sure all the necessary elements are there. “If the nomination [package] is not complete, returning officers cannot confirm the candidate. If this happens before the close of nominations, another candidate can be nominated. … If this hap- pens afterwards, it’s too late and no replacement can be put forward.”

Paul-Hus told Radio-Canada the party was expecting that Elections Canada would “re- vise” its decision on Thériault’s eligibility in time for the elec- tion. However, Fleyfel said there was no mechanism in the Canada Elections Act to appeal the refusal of a candidate’s application.

“Elections Canada has finalized the list of confirmed candidates who will have their name appear on the ballot. The timelines set in the Act are important to allow enough time for ballots to be printed and have the necessary quality assurance checks done in time for advance polls,” he added.

Québec-Centre is the only riding in the country with no Conservative candidate on the ballot. Voters in the downtown riding haven’t elected a Conservative MP since 1988. Liberal MP Jean-Yves Duclos is running for a fourth term; polling aggregator 338Canada suggests he is likely to keep the seat, with the Liberals polling at 51 per cent support in the riding compared to 36 per cent for the second-place Bloc Québécois. Tommy Bureau of the NDP and Daniel Brisson of the People’s Party are running a distant third and fourth; the candidacy of Félix-Antoine Bérubé-Simard of the Green Party was refused by Elections Canada because of concerns about the validity of some signatures.

The federal election takes place on April 28. Between April 13 and 22, Elections Canada offers a variety of advance voting options. For more information on advance voting, visit elections.ca and click on “Key dates.”

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Polls suggest another three-way race in Beauport-Limoilou

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

Polls suggest another three-way race in Beauport-Limoilou

Peter Black, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

peterblack@qctonline.com

Of the seven ridings in the North Shore Quebec City area, surely the most unpredictable would be Beauport-Limoilou.

In the last three elections, the top three finishers were within about five points of each other in the popular vote, separated by a spread of about 3,000 votes.

It is not a bellwether riding, though; not since the 2008 election has it elected an MP on the government side – a Conservative – and you have to go back to the days of Pierre Trudeau for when the riding last went Liberal.

Again, this time around, polls are suggesting the riding will be a close three-way race, with the Bloc Québécois incumbent at risk of losing her seat. Projections from the Canada338 poll-tracking site describe the riding as “CPC leaning” with the Conservative Party ahead of the Liberals by six points, with a seven-point margin of error. The Bloc Québécois is a more distant third.

Such projections, however, are based on provincewide polling data and do not take into account the impact of the local candidates or local issues.

The riding, which spans the area between the Autoroute Laurentienne and the Montmorency River, has been reconfigured somewhat since the last election, which, according to one analysis, could favour the Conservatives.

The incumbent, Julie Vignola, a teacher who grew up in Fermont, first won the riding in the 2019 election, edging out Conservative incumbent Alupa Clarke by about 2,000 votes. In the 2021 election, she snuffed out Clarke’s comeback attempt by about 1,000 votes.

This time, she faces Hugo Langlois, a well-known television host and son of longtime

Beauport mayor and Quebec City councillor Jacques Langlois. The Liberal candidate is also high-profile – Steeve Lavoie, the former head of the Chambre de commerce et industrie de Québec.

The former NDP MP for the riding, Raymond Côté, is attempting to regain the seat he won in 2011. The current election marks Côté’s fifth campaign for Beauport-Limoilou.

Vignola said the current battle for Beauport-Limoilou is “une belle campagne,” compared to 2021 when the pandemic made it hard to meet people, and 2019 when the Bloc needed to reconnect with voters. She said in an interview with the QCT that people are concerned about the threat of the tariffs U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed, but they also want to know, “Who is [Liberal Leader] Mark Carney? Who exactly is [Conservative Leader] Pierre Poilievre?”

Vignola said the key local issues in the riding are air quality, affordable housing and homelessness. She sees her role as MP, even though the Bloc can never form a government, as fighting for local issues.

Conservative candidate Langlois, who learned his English through his girlfriend who attended St. Patrick’s High School and CEGEP Champlain-St. Lawrence, said he chose to run with the future of his teenage daughters in mind.

The longtime host of TVA morning show Salut Bonjour said that even though he had a very satisfying career, he felt “it’s my time.” Noting that he was raised “in a really active political family,” Langlois said, “I have everything to give for the citizens of Beauport-Limoilou. I have a good name, good reputation, I know how it works, so I think I’m offering my best.”

He said, “People are scared” and concerned about such is- sues as the cost of housing. He said he believed Canada has missed opportunities under the Liberals. “We’re a rich country,  we have a lot of natural resources, ambitious businessmen and businesswomen. We have a lot of things that other countries are looking for, but we didn’t do anything to make them work for us in the last 10 years.”

Liberal candidate Lavoie, a former bank executive who lives in Lévis, was not available to speak with the QCT. He recently told Le Soleil, “I spent my career in Quebec City, my children went to school in Quebec City and I’m very familiar with local issues through my former role at the Chamber of Commerce. I want to give the people of Beauport-Limoilou a direct voice in government.”

Lavoie said it was not the arrival on the scene of Carney that spurred him to run for office, “but it’s definitely a plus. He’s an incredible man with an incredible resumé. I had decided to go for it, but let’s just say it added value.”

The NDP’s Côté said he decided to run again because people urged him to get involved and lend his experience to the party’s campaign. He said the “obsession with the dangers of Donald Trump” means “we are forgetting the things that concern people on a daily basis.”

Other candidates registered in Beauport-Limoilou are Dalila Elhak for the Green Party, Andrée Massicotte for the People’s Party and Claude Moreau for the Marxist-Leninist Party.

Polls suggest another three-way race in Beauport-Limoilou Read More »

TRAM TRACKER: Federal support for tramway in hands of voters

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , ,

TRAM TRACKER: Federal support for tramway in hands of voters

Peter Black, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

peterblack@qctonline.com

The fate of Quebec City’s tramway project is at stake in the April 28 federal election.

With the choice of the next federal government, between the Liberal Party of Canada, which supports the project, and the Conservative Party of Canada, which opposes it, in essence, the voters of Canada will decide whether Quebec’s capital gets a structured urban transit system.

It’s uncertain whether the $7.6-billion project could proceed in its current form without federal funding. The federal government under former prime minister Justin Trudeau, and now current Prime Minister Mark Carney, has committed a total of $1.4 billion to the project, an initial $1.1 billion in 2019 and an ad- ditional $332 million in early March.

The city would like Ottawa to top that up to reach 40 per cent of the cost, the same as what the Coalition Avenir Québec government has promised.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, however, has been adamant about not putting “one cent” of federal money into the tramway. Further, he would take the money already committed and put it towards the Quebec government’s plan to build a third bridge over the St. Lawrence River.

At a March 26 rally in Quebec City, Poilievre repeated his vow “to end the war on cars.”

He took a shot at the position on urban transit taken by Carney and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet. “The Bloc and the Liberals refuse to build a third link – an important project for mobility and the economy of the greater Quebec City region. Worse still, Carney and Blanchet want to impose a tramway on the people of Quebec City – a project that the people of Quebec City reject.”

Poilievre said, “The tramway – it’s a white elephant worth over $7 billion, an unaffordable project, a project that the people of Quebec City don’t want. As prime minister, I will respect your wishes [and] refuse to waste your taxes on this unpopular project. The people of Quebec City need their trucks to get to work, to drive their children to the arena. That’s why I’m going to invest the federal money earmarked for the tramway in a third link.”

The two Conservative MPs in the central Quebec City ridings, Poilievre’s Quebec lieutenant and Charlesbourg– Haute-Saint-Charles MP Pierre Paul-Hus and Louis–Saint– Laurent–Akiawenhrahk MP Gérard Deltell, met Mayor Bruno Marchand last month before the launch of the election campaign. According to the mayor’s office, Poilievre has yet to meet with Marchand.

On the same day as Poilievre’s visit to the Quebec capital, Jean-Yves Duclos, the Liberal MP for the downtown riding of Québec-Centre, issued an open letter denouncing the Conservative leader’s policies for the city, particularly the tramway.

“The Conservative leader wants to steal our money and send it elsewhere in the country, like to his hometown of Calgary – where he proudly celebrates the Canadian government’s investments in public transit that reduce congestion and create housing and good jobs,” wrote Duclos, who is running for a fourth term.

Duclos said, “Pierre Poilievre talks about ‘responsible government,’ yet he is prepared to blindly fund a third link project whose route, de- sign or budget are unknown.”

Duclos recalled, “In September 2010, Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives pulled this trick on us. They disguised themselves as Nordiques players wearing hockey jerseys to promise to fund the Videotron Centre. A few months later, Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives broke their promise by not contributing a single cent to the centre, leaving Quebec City and the Quebec government to shoulder the entire bill.”

Carney, when he visited Quebec City in January as part of his Liberal leadership campaign, declared his support for the tramway as the kind of infrastructure investment needed in a time of economic crisis.

Simon Bérubé, the Bloc candidate in Québec-Centre, said in an interview with the QCT, regarding the Conserva- tive position on the tramway, “We’re against any interference from the federal government into the decisions of the city of Quebec and the government of Quebec. The project is quite underway, it’s ready to go, so we’re asking that, without any interference, that 40 per cent of the cost will be guaranteed by the federal government.”

Bérubé said the project will bring a lot of investments in the riding, through stimulation of housing developments, for example.

Asked what would happen to the tramway project in the event of Quebec declaring sovereignty should the Parti Québécois win the next election and a promised referendum, Bérubé said the federal money committed to the tramway “belongs to Quebecers who sent it to Ottawa through all kinds of taxes.”

TRAM TRACKER: Federal support for tramway in hands of voters Read More »

‘Civic duty’ compels Glenn O’Farrell to run for Liberals in Bellechasse

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

‘Civic duty’ compels Glenn O’Farrell to run for Liberals in Bellechasse

Peter Black, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

peterblack@qctonline.com

Glenn O’Farrell, a senior communications executive, lawyer, St. Patrick’s High School graduate, Order of Canada recipient and native son of Saint-Malachie, is running for the Liberal Party in the Bellechasse–Les-Etchemins–Lévis riding on the South Shore.

O’Farrell, 66, will face Conservative Party incumbent Dominique Vien, a former provincial Liberal cabinet minister who was defeated in the 2018 provincial election. She switched to the federal Conservatives in the 2021 election and won the seat held since 2006 by Conservative Steven Blaney.

Blaney, who served for many years in the cabinet of Stephen Harper, is now running for mayor of Lévis.

In 2022, Vien had been one of several Conservative MPs to urge former Quebec premier Jean Charest to run for the party leadership that he lost to Pierre Poilievre.

In a telephone interview with the QCT, O’Farrell ex- plained why he chose to leap into politics. “Very, very honestly and transparently, it was nothing more or less than a sense of civic duty at a time of what I would call an existential crisis for our country.”

He said, “Our former best partners, closest ally, certainly a nation that was related to us in more ways than we can imagine … [has] turned their backs on us and this new administration threatens us with economic terrorism that is designed to dismantle the very fabric of Canada.”

O’Farrell said, as a close observer of the political scene, he decided to get involved in Mark Carney’s campaign for the Liberal leadership. Carney’s team approached him about running, and “I was honoured by that, to be very honest with you. I said, well, maybe at this point in time, it’s time for me to exercise my civic duty and stand for election in a place that means a lot to me, that’s my home – Saint-Malachie, Bellechasse – where I was brought up, it’s been our home all our lives.”

O’Farrell said he still stays at a farm that’s been in the family for five generations.

After high school, O’Farrell got a degree in economics from St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia and in law from Université Laval. He joined a Quebec City law firm and in 1987 began a career in communications law and management that included TVA, Global Television, Canwest, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters and TFO, Ontario’s independent French-language television channel.

He was a member of the board of governors for Ontario’s new French-language university and special adviser to the Ontario government on francophone economic development.

He received the Order of Canada in 2020 for his “vision for education and for his leadership in communications, having positioned a media outlet as a global symbol of French language and culture,” according to the citation.

Among the non-corporate boards he has served on are the Fondation du CHUL, the Jeffery Hale Foundation, the Théâtre du Bois-de-Coulonge in Quebec City and the National Theatre School of Canada in Montreal.

In December, he gave a TED Talk in Montreal on the role of the media in shaping civil society.

As far as his chances of winning a riding that has not gone Liberal since a two-year blip in 2004, O’Farrell said the people of Bellechasse “need to make a choice.”

He said he respects the incumbent, but “my quarrel is with the leadership of that party that’s not in keeping with Canadian values.”

O’Farrell said Poilievre is “in no way, shape or form able to measure up to the competence, the experience, the calmness and the strength of character that Mark Carney brings — and I’m not trying to wax lyrical here. I mean this. We’re very fortunate as Canadians that a person of his calibre, with his networks, his background and experience, at this stage in life, would raise his hand and say ‘yes, I will serve and stand for prime minister.’” Besides O’Farrell and Vien, the nominated candidates in Bellechasse are Gaby Breton for the Bloc Québécois, Marie- Philippe Gagnon-Gauthier for the NDP, Raphaël Boilard for the Green Party, Mario Fréchette for the People’s Party of Canada and Yannick Lévesque for the Rhinoceros Party.

‘Civic duty’ compels Glenn O’Farrell to run for Liberals in Bellechasse Read More »

Still some holes to fill in local federal ridings

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

Still some holes to fill in local federal ridings

Peter Black, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

peterblack@qctonline.com

With the federal election less than a month away, parties are still scrambling to find candidates for the seven Quebec City-area ridings.

Candidates have until Monday, April 7 at 2 p.m. to register with Elections Canada.

As of March 31, the main parties had chosen candidates in all but one riding, with the Liberals having not named a standard-bearer in Montmorency-Charlevoix.

The Bloc Québecois has candidates in all seven ridings. By contrast, the New Democratic Party has nominated only two, in Beauport-Limoilou and Québec-Centre.

Poll projections suggest most incumbents, all of whom are running again, are likely to be returned. The two exceptions are the two seats held by the Bloc – Caroline Desbiens in Montmorency-Charlevoix and Julie Vignola in Beauport-Limoilou.

That latter riding features well-known candidates for the Liberals and Conservatives. Hugo Langlois, a media host and commentator, has joined the Pierre Poilievre team, and Steeve Lavoie, a prominent entrepreneur and former head of Quebec City’s chamber of commerce and industry, will run for Mark Carney’s Liberals. Former MP Raymond Côté is running for the NDP.

The seat has bounced back and forth between Bloc and Conservative since 1993, with Côté and the NDP winning it in the 2011 Orange Wave. The last time it was Liberal was 1988.

The 2021 election saw a tight three-way race; Vignola edged out incumbent Conservative Alupa Clark with Liberal Ann Gingras a close third. Current poll projections, according to Canada338, have the candidates for the three parties within eight points of each other, with the potential result described as “CPC leaning.”

The same poll cruncher has Montmorency-Charlevoix as “CPC likely” with the Bloc well back in second place. Gym owner Gabriel Hardy is the Conservative candidate. Desbiens first won the riding in 2019, defeating Conservative Sylvie Boucher.

Still some holes to fill in local federal ridings Read More »

Federal election: New riding boundaries and name changes are in place

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Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

Election signs are already going up throughout the Valley as area candidates launched their campaigns over the weekend.

Across Canada, voters will head to the polls on April 28 after a 37-day campaign. At five weeks, this is the shortest allowable campaign period under Canadian law. Advance voting in both ridings will take place over the Easter weekend from April 18-21.

Area voters will now select representatives in the Beauharnois-Salaberry-Soulanges-Huntingdon (BSSH) riding and in Chateauguay-Les-Jardins-de-Napierville following the most recent electoral district redistribution. The boundaries for the ridings were enlarged to account for population growth and demographic changes across the region.

The candidates vying to represent the BSSH riding include frontrunner Claude DeBellefeuille, who is looking for her fifth term in office for the Bloc Québécois. She is running against Miguel Perras of the Liberal Party, as well as Tyler Jones for the New Democratic Party (NDP). Kristian Solarik will represent the Green Party, while Martin Lévesque stumps for the People’s Party of Canada (PPC). As of press time, the Conservative Party had not confirmed its nominee.

Change will be coming for the Chateauguay—Les-Jardins-de-Napierville riding as current MP Brenda Shanahan has stepped away. The candidates looking to take over this seat include Bloc Québécois nominee Patrick O’Hara, David De Repentigny for the Conservative Party, newcomer Nathalie Provost for the Liberal Party, and Nicholas Guerin, who represents the PPC. The NDP and the Green Party had not confirmed their candidates as of press time.

Federal election: New riding boundaries and name changes are in place Read More »

Alexander Reford to run for Liberals in Rimouski

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Reford Gardens’ Alexander Reford runs for Liberals in Rimouski

Peter Black, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

peterblack@qctonline.com

Concern about the future of Canada and a personal connection with Liberal Party Leader Mark Carney convinced Alexander Reford, the soon- to-be former director of the Reford Gardens (known in French as the Jardins de Métis), to be a candidate in the April 28 election.

Reford, 62, was acclaimed as the candidate in Rimouski- La Matapédia on March 21, two days before Carney called the federal vote. He has been a resident of the area for 31 years, ever since he took on the task of transforming his family’s estate and gardens on the St. Lawrence River into a world-class botanical and tour- ism destination.

A historian by training and author of several books and other publications, Reford had hit the campaign trail early, meeting with crab fishermen and ski resort operators, from whom he learned “there’s a general anxiety over the future of the economy, which is going to be pushed in a different direction.”

It’s not likely to be an easy race for the rookie politician. Although the riding was re- configured since the last election, the seat has not had a Liberal member since the 1980 election, which brought a majority under Pierre Trudeau.

The current MP is Maxime Blanchette-Joncas of the Bloc Québécois, who wrested the seat from the NDP’s Guy Caron in 2019. Blanchette-Joncas, a former call centre worker and Parti Québécois youth activist, beat the second-place Liberal in the 2021 election by nearly 25 per cent of the vote.

The last time the area had a member in government was when Monique Vézina was a minister in Brian Mulroney’s Progressive Conservative government from 1984-93. Vézina died in December at age 89. The riding voted Bloc until Caron – now mayor of Rimouski – won it in the 2011 Orange Wave.

Reford said, “Frankly, the riding has chosen to be in voluntary exile for a very long time. But I think things have changed, you know, the mood has swung.”

He added, “It’s a new challenge, and I realistically think that with the leadership shown by Mark just over the last two weeks in government, it’s clear that there’s a new orientation, a new direction and hopefully I can be part of that new thing.” Reford’s connection to Carney goes back to when the two were Canadian students at Oxford University – Reford in history, Carney in economics. “So, following his career and having had occasion to read his publications and chat with him, it was easy to convince me that he was the right person for this job.”

It was another mutual Ox- ford friend, former Trudeau justice minister and Montreal MP David Lametti, now an advisor to Carney, who called Reford and said, “It’s time. What do you think?’

The timing coincidentally worked well for Reford, as he is in the process of handing over management of the Reford Gardens to a new team. Preparations are in the works to celebrate the centennial of his great-grandmother Elsie Reford’s gardens this summer.

Reford, recipient of the Order of Canada in 2021, said he’s learning the ropes as a novice political campaigner. “I think this is very interesting, you know. I met more people yes- terday than I had in a month.”

Besides Reford and Blanchette-Joncas, the only other nominated candidate in the riding as of March 23 was Taraneh Javanbakh of the People’s Party of Canada.

Alexander Reford to run for Liberals in Rimouski Read More »

Few party candidates nominated in city as federal election looms

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Few party candidates nominated in city as federal election looms

Peter Black, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

peterblack@qctonline.com

With a federal election call expected sometime soon, only the Bloc Québécois has candidates nominated in all seven ridings in the Quebec City region.

The Bloc, with leader Yves- François Blanchet in attendance, introduced its slate at a news conference in the city on March 13.

In addition to its two incumbent MPs – Caroline Desbiens in Montmorency-Charlevoix and Julie Vignola in Beauport- Limoilou – the Bloc has nominated Simon Bérubé in the riding of Québec-Centre (formerly Québec), Christian Hébert in Portneuf–Jacques-Cartier, Valérie Savard in Louis-Hébert, Bladimir Labonite Infante in Charlesbourg–Haute-Sainte-Charles, and Martin Trudel in Louis-Saint-Laurent–Akiawenhrahk.

That latter riding is one of several in the country whose name has been changed to reflect Indigenous heritage.

Conservatives hold three seats in the region, and all three incumbent MPs are nominated to run again: Pierre Paul-Hus, the Quebec lieutenant of leader Pierre Poilievre, in Charlesbourg–Haute-Saint- Charles; Gérard Deltell in Louis-Saint-Laurent–Akiawenhrahk; and Joël Godin in Portneuf–Jacques-Cartier.

According to the party website, no other candidates have been nominated. Paul-Hus’s office had not returned a call by press time.

The Liberals are only slightly more advanced in finding and nominating candidates. The two incumbents are running again: Jean-Yves Duclos, recently excluded from Prime Minister Mark Carney’s slimmed-down cabinet, in Québec-Centre; and Joël Lightbound in Louis-Hébert.

The only other nominated candidate for the Liberals as of late last week was Denise Coulonval in Beauport-Limoilou. The seat has seen close three- way races between the Bloc, Conservatives and Liberals over the past three elections (2015, 2029, 2021).

A Liberal party official who asked to remain anonymous said there has been an increased interest in Quebec from potential candidates now that Mark Carney is leader and prime minister.

The New Democratic Party, which swept most ridings in the city in the “Orange Wave” of 2011, has nominated two candidates so far, both repeat candidates. Former Beauport- Limoilou MP Raymond Coté is making his second attempt since the 2015 election to recapture the riding. Tommy Bureau is running for a third time in Québec-Centre, after coming fourth in 2021 and 2019. The NDP won the seat in the 2011 election, ending the Bloc’s Christiane Gagnon’s 18-year hold on the downtown riding.

Maxime Bernier’s People’s Party of Canada has no seats in Parliament, but it has can- didates nominated in five of the seven ridings in the region. The Green Party, which has yet to elect a candidate in Quebec, has so far nominated candidates in three area ridings.

On the South Shore, Conservative incumbent Jacques Gourde and Liberal challenger Ghislain Daigle are nominated in Lévis-Lotbinière. In Bellechasse–Les-Etchemins–Lévis, Conservative MP Dominique Vien is nominated, as is Marie-Philippe Gagnon- Gauthier for the NDP.

Few party candidates nominated in city as federal election looms Read More »

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