candidate

Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

SAINTE-ANNE-DES-MONTS – Defeated in his first three attempts, longtime Conservative activist Jean-Pierre Pigeon will once again be a candidate for the party in the next election in Gaspésie-Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine-Listuguj. 

“I don’t know if this time will be the right one. It will be up to the people of our riding to decide. I’ve been ready since 2015,” says the man who lost each time to Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) Diane Lebouthillier. The man who served under Dr. Charles-Eugène Marin between 1984 and 1993 notes that it will be necessary to focus on the challenges in the riding at a time when a tariff war triggered by the United States is raging. 

“People are worried. But it’s not just this economic crisis that’s likely to happen. We need to talk about the needs of our population versus what Ottawa will do for our riding. That requires someone who will be in power,” says Mr. Pigeon. 

However, the Gaspésie-Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine MP has been in power since 2015, and Mr. Pigeon maintains that the Liberal representative “has done her job.” 

Jean-Pierre Pigeon believes he has the necessary connections to move the riding forward if the Conservatives take power. “With the contacts I’ve had in the Conservative Party for nearly five decades, people in Ottawa know me. I know the vast majority of the people in the shadow cabinets.” I know how to do politics. I had a mentor named Charles-Eugène Marin who showed me how to do politics,” recalls the man who has been involved in politics at the school, municipal, and sports levels. 

Public finances, with the significant deficits left by the Liberals for the past 10 years, will be a major issue.  “When Stephen Harper left power in 2015, there was no credit card for everyday needs. There is a way to do things, and I am confident that the people who will form the government will be able to reconcile the elements to strike a balance between paying off the credit card, which has been staggering for the past 10 years, and meeting people’s needs. But we will have to make some sacrifices,” warns Mr. Pigeon.  “But we will have to help the Gaspé,” he adds. 

The Liberals have a renewed energy with the arrival of Mark Carney. 

“We remember that in the United States, there was a certain Mr. Biden who took his time leaving. “It’s similar to what Mr. Trudeau did. Ms. Harris came in and boosted the polls, and what happened? The polls collapsed because the Republicans had done the long-term work. We might see the same scenario in Canada. Mr. Carney is the flavour of the month, but it won’t last,” says Mr. Pigeon, who has supported the Conservatives since Joe Clark in the late 1970s. 

Given the size of the newly redrawn riding. Mr. Pigeon plans to focus on technological tools to connect voters rather than relying solely on traditional in-person visits.