CARLETON-SUR-MER – Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) Member of the National Assembly (MNA) for Bonaventure, Catherine Blouin, has announced her intention to run for a second term in the October 2026 general election.
In an interview, marking the halfway point of her term, the MNA was asked to comment on the announcement of Liberal MNA Marwah Rizqy’s departure at the end of her current term, citing the difficulty of balancing family life with young children and her role as MNA.
Catherine Blouin, who has two children slightly older than her colleague, acknowledges the challenge. “I’m not going to hide the fact that it is a challenge. It requires a lot of organization and I understand Marwah’s situation and I would have made the same decision if my children were the same age as hers. My daughters are a little older, and I consider the situation to be a little different,” says Ms. Blouin.
Pausing for a few seconds in her response, she adds: “I’m not the only one who has a logistical challenge with my family. I think of nurses or a single parent every other week, or the fly-in-fly-outs. I don’t want to complain: it means I’m away from my children three nights a week, several weeks a year,” she continues.
However, it is a privilege for her daughters to see the workings of Parliament and the MNA feels an awakening for political life. “I’m lucky. It’s going very well,” she says.
“If things continue in this direction, it (my decision) will be in ‘yes’ column. I’ll be a candidate in 2026,” she clearly states.
On the balance sheet, the cellular coverage for which consultations are being conducted by Telus for the installation of towers and the electoral map saga are the two major elements that Catherine Blouin brings up in the midterm assessment.
“When I think of all the work done on this file and the safeguarding of the two ridings in the Gaspésie, the protection of the political weight of the Gaspésie, it is a great source of pride,” emphasizes the elected official.
Several everyday issues impacting citizens have been resolved. Ms. Blouin notes that 95% of her work moves in that direction. “This is what motivates me the most to continue to advance files. It makes a real difference. That’s why we want to get into politics. In any case, in my case, it was to help people concretely and help my region. When we get calls from happy citizens, it feels good. We tell ourselves that we are in the right place,” mentions Ms. Blouin.
With two years left in the current mandate, housing and daycare spaces remain among her top priorities. “There are several spaces that have been delivered, several housing units that have been built. There are still several sites under construction. We will have to work hard to deliver all the expected daycare spaces and support the many developers who are raising their hands,” says the MNA, who wants to seize all the opportunities.
On railway issues, unlike her colleague from Gaspé, Stéphane Sainte-Croix, who says he doubts that a train will arrive in Gaspé in December 2026, Catherine Blouin understands that the deadline is tight. “When I ask questions, I am told that it is possible,” she says, while the estimate from the Ministry of Transport states that the construction period is 28 months. The contract for the last of the four major calls for tenders has still not been awarded.
The MNA remains cautious about the start of construction work on the new emergency and intensive care unit at Maria Hospital. The Gaspé Peninsula Integrated Health and Social Services Centre (CISSS) is in discussions with engineering firms to choose one of them to assess the building’s capacity to take on more infrastructure.
Although she isn’t ready to commit to saying the first nail will be driven before the end of her term, she is optimistic. “It is certainly desirable. We had done what was necessary to speed up the process. The last news was that the contract had not yet been awarded. We are continuing to monitor it very closely. Every week, I look at where we are. My wish is really to advance the project considerably,” explains the Bonaventure MNA.
Regarding gasoline prices, which vary significantly within her riding, seeing very low prices in the west of the county and very high prices in the east, she acknowledges the issue.
“I am very sensitive to the issues surrounding the price of gasoline because it is an essential daily expense,” mentions the elected official, mentioning the tabling of the report that was submitted and that a parliamentary committee is looking into the matter.
“We are currently evaluating what we can do to ensure that Quebecers pay a fair price,” she adds.
Her colleague from Gaspé, Stéphane Sainte-Croix, has indicated he will not conduct a midterm review but will focus on the current parliamentary session, which ends in December.
