Claude Bertrand

Election Q&A: The environment how will parties save our planet

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Environmental protection is a big topic among local voters these days. With increased mining claims being staked in our region, continued development near Gatineau Park and the Gatineau River and threatened species in the Gatineau Hills, what will your party to do conserve more green space, protect wetlands, and save threatened flora and fauna in our region?

Gilbert Whiteduck, New Democratic Party 

The rivers, land and all species should be sacred to everyone. To protect our environment, the Gatineau River needs legal protection and personhood, which is why I co-founded the Tenàgàdino Alliance: to achieve legal rights for the Gatineau River. I’m not opposed to development, but it must be responsible. Building a nuclear waste dump beside the Ottawa River is not responsible: Conservative and Liberal governments should never have allowed it to proceed. I’m also concerned about the recent explosion of mining claims in our region, which could lead to a destructive legacy.  The NDP was the first party – 20 years ago – to introduce a bill to protect Gatineau Park as an actual national park and prevent it from shrinking further, but the Liberals defeated it. As traditional guardians of this land, the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg community should become stewards of the park. This needs to be a collaborative effort. 

Todd Hoffman, People’s Party of Canada

My response might be surprising to some. On the environment, while the PPC is strongly opposed to the globalist approach to climate change, when it comes to local concerns we weigh towards the will of the community. Our principals have always been based on fairness, respect and responsibility. As to the questions raised, civic responsibility and respect for nature are areas we hold in high regard. The PPC belief is that citizens and municipal and regional governments are the best to work on finding the right fit to find the balance between those that are concerned and those who wish to develop. In human agency, just as in nature, a balance can be found for everything. We believe in the will of the people. If the people on the ground want it, good. If they do not, forget it. But never, no outside lobbyist to influence the outcome.

Sophie Chatel, Liberal party (Incumbent)

Protecting the natural heritage of Pontiac-Kitigan Zibi is a top priority for me. I led a conservation project with Kitigan Zibi that made our region the first in Canada with a roadmap to meet our international nature protection goals. This is the Kidjimaninan initiative, which brings together Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities to protect our region’s biodiversity. I co-led a bill to give Gatineau Park the legal protections it deserves, and I am committed to reintroducing it in the next session. This is part of my vision for a green and prosperous Outaouais, where conservation and economic opportunity go hand in hand. Under Mark Carney’s leadership, a Liberal government will go further by creating 10 new national parks, expanding Indigenous-led conservation, investing $100 million in freshwater protection and funding nature-based climate solutions that preserve wetlands, biodiversity and critical habitats. This is how we build a greener future for Pontiac–Kitigan Zibi.

Claude Bertrand, Green party

Protecting the environment has been the GPC’s raison d’être for the past 41 years. It has a very substantial popular support amongst Canadians of all stripes, but thanks to Canada’s dramatically flawed first-past-the-post electoral system, the GPC currently only has two MPs in the House of Commons.  Mining activities carried out within or even near populated areas severely undermine the citizen’s quality of life and the environment. In the same way, housing developments within park boundaries are very enticing for those who can afford them but are detrimental to the enjoyment of users who seek a connection with nature. Quebec may be the most environmentally responsible province, and many volunteer organizations struggle to protect the local environment. The GPC carries out targeted actions by fostering a network of like-minded organizations and citizens who aim to shape local environmental laws and programming by province and municipalities.

Brian Nolan, Conservative party

Environmental protection is a priority for the Conservative Party of Canada, especially in regions like ours, where natural beauty and biodiversity are at risk. We recognize the importance of preserving green space, protecting wetlands and conserving threatened species in the Gatineau Hills, Gatineau Park and along the Gatineau River. Our approach is practical and science-based. We will work collaboratively with local communities, First Nations and provincial governments to protect ecologically sensitive areas, while supporting responsible development. We are committed to strengthening environmental assessments, promoting habitat restoration and empowering community-led conservation initiatives. Our goal is to ensure future generations can enjoy the same natural treasures we value today. Conservatives believe environmental protection and economic growth can go hand-in-hand through smart, sustainable decision-making. By respecting nature and empowering those closest to it, we can build a greener, more prosperous future for Pontiac–Kitigan Zibi and all Canadians.

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Federal election Q&A: Bill 96 where parties stand on language

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By Trevor Greenway

The Quebec government passed Bill 96, which restricts the use of English in businesses and public services, using the notwithstanding clause. This allowed the government to bypass the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Bill 96 negatively impacts minority language constituents in their day-to-day lives, such as by restricting access to services. How would your party address this bill and/or improve the situation for the minority language population of this riding?

Claude Bertrand, Green party

Because of its language, culture and unique history within the Canadian federation, Quebec has a special status within Canada. On Nov. 22, 2006, a “Québécois nation” motion was tabled in Parliament by Stephen Harper, then prime minister of Canada. Five days later, on Nov. 27, the motion was approved, 265–16, with support from every party in the House of Commons. Living in a predominantly French-speaking “island” in an otherwise predominantly English-speaking North America (excluding Mexico), Quebecers have managed to this day to preserve their distinct character, language and culture. Like the Green party, Quebecers value inclusion, diversity and social democracy. The Green Party of Canada fully recognizes Quebec’s status as a distinct nation within Canada. We thus recognize the right of Quebecers to decide together their political and constitutional future, including the decision, manifested through their democratically-elected national assembly, to make French the only official language in Quebec.

Brian Nolan, Conservative party

The Conservative Party of Canada is deeply concerned about the use of the notwithstanding clause to override Charter rights. Bill 96 has created real challenges for English-speaking Quebecers, especially in regions like Pontiac–Kitigan Zibi, where bilingualism is a way of life. A Conservative government would work constructively with Quebec to ensure that essential services such as healthcare, education and justice remain accessible in both official languages. We believe in protecting minority rights, supporting language duality and ensuring no one is left behind because of the language they speak. As your local Conservative candidate, I will be a strong voice for all residents of the Pontiac–Kitigan Zibi riding. I will always defend the rights of English-speaking communities and work to ensure they are treated with fairness, respect and equality, because language should never be a barrier to accessing services or opportunities.

Todd Hoffman, People’s Party of Canada (PPC)

The PPC is the best federal party to tackle the question of English minority rights within Quebec. We are the party of freedom of expression, protecting Canadians from censorship and discrimination. The PPC would repeal bad legislation on the federal level. For Bill 96 and the notwithstanding clause, we would review Bill C-13 “Act to amend the Official Languages Act” that our MP, Ms. [Sophie] Chatel, voted in favour of in 2023. This amendment tied a federal act to a discriminatory provincial act, bypassing the Canadian Charter of Rights. A very disappointing vote on her part. My record in advocating language rights is well documented. Like many other local businesses, I have in the past been served with papers from the Office québécois de la langue française (OLF) for a perceived social media violation. My resistance to being put on notice by the OLF was featured in a National Post article in 2024. 

Sophie Chatel, Liberal party (Incumbent)

Bill 96 has created challenges for anglophones in Quebec, including in Pontiac–Kitigan Zibi. The Quebec government pre-emptively invoked the notwithstanding clause to shield the law from Charter challenges, raising significant concerns about its impact on fundamental rights. This use of the clause prevents courts from reviewing whether the law respects the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Liberal party believes in protecting both of Canada’s official languages and supports efforts to promote French in Quebec. But that must never come at the expense of people’s rights. No government should be able to bypass the Charter without accountability. A Liberal government will intervene in any Supreme Court challenge of a government’s pre-emptive use of the notwithstanding clause, as such use would effectively make the Charter of Rights optional. Defending the Charter is how we protect the rights of minority language communities, including in Pontiac–Kitigan Zibi, and ensure their voices are heard.

Gilbert Whiteduck, New Democratic Party (NDP)

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh has recently stated that, if elected government, the NDP would not intervene if a challenge to Bill 96 reached the Supreme Court. I completely sympathize with those, including francophones and anglophones, who feel their native language is under threat. Through colonization, the Algonquin Anishininabeg language, Anishinaabwemowin, was negatively impacted. We collectively continue to work hard to preserve it, but it is still less well-known among some of our members than English or French. I deeply object to those who opportunistically use language politics to divide us. I believe the preservation and growth of our rich and diverse cultural heritages makes us stronger.  Knowledge and appreciation of different languages and cultures enriches us and shouldn’t come at the expense of our native languages. I support all minority language rights and would do whatever I can to protect and support them through federal legislation and financial support.

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Election Q&As: Hills housing crisis

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by Trevor Greenway

Local Journalism Reporter

The federal election is upon us – and it’s coming fast. With just three or so weeks left until Canadians head to the polls to pick their next MP and ruling party on April 28, the intensity will ramp up fast. 

National headlines will give you the latest on Canada vs. Trump and how the respective leaders stack up against the U.S. president, but here in the Hills, we will be grilling our candidates on the local economy, the environment, Quebec politics and local journalism as we inch towards election day. With just three publications left until the vote, we are focussing our coverage on a series of Q&As focused on local issues. 

Issue number one is the housing crisis in the Gatineau Hills. We asked all five candidates to answer the following question and gave them a 150-word limit on their answers, which have been edited for grammar, length and style. 

Q: The Table de développement social des Collines-de-l’Outaouais (TDSCO) found that more than 3,000 residents in the region are living in homes they can’t afford. This is based upon the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) affordable housing threshold of 30 per cent of a household income being put towards housing. What will your party do to ease the housing crunch in the region?

Sophie Chatel, Liberal party

Families across Pontiac–Kitigan Zibi are struggling to afford a place to live. 

The housing crisis is real, and it’s hitting our region. Under Mark Carney’s leadership, the Liberal party is ready to act with an ambitious housing plan. 

We’ll double the pace of construction to 500,000 homes a year, launch Build Canada Homes to get the federal government back into building, eliminate the GST for first-time homebuyers, unlock private capital, cut red tape and lower building costs. 

No single solution exists, but we’ll be an active partner in getting more homes built. Programs like the Rapid Housing Initiative and Housing Accelerator Fund have delivered over 1,000 homes in the Outaouais, with a new phase supporting water infrastructure, so municipalities can build more housing. 

[Pierre] Poilievre says he’ll cut these programs. I’m committed to working with all levels of government and local partners to ensure everyone has an affordable home.

Claude Bertrand, Green party

Shelter, like food, water and clothing, is fundamental to survival. The Green party recognizes that for many Canadians the high cost of housing is making it difficult to meet other basic needs. 

Canada needs to rapidly double its stock of social housing. 

The Green party wants publicly-funded housing to be truly affordable. It makes no sense to continue basing payments for a social housing unit on prices in today’s inflated housing market. 

Real affordability means that an individual or family in social housing should be able to pay their rent or mortgage with 30 per cent of their regular income. 

And there should be covenants to ensure that public housing cannot at some future time be purchased by profit-driven corporations. Given our 150-word limit, there is no room to cover other Green party ideas for responding to the crisis in private and public housing. 

I look forward to further opportunities to communicate with voters on this critical topic.

Gilbert Whiteduck, NDP

Under Conservative and Liberal governments, the federal government severely cut support for affordable housing over recent decades. Billions in federal funding since has gone to private developers, who have hiked rents and house prices. This resulted in the affordable housing crisis we are in. To help solve this crisis, the NDP would:

  • Make federal Crown land available to build 100,000 rent-controlled homes and speed up approvals, while respecting the treaty and inherent rights of Indigenous communities;
  • Invest $1 billion to purchase more federal land to build more rent-controlled homes;
  • Create a Community Housing Bank to provide low-cost financing to co-ops, non-profits and Indigenous communities;
  • Help non-profits buy affordable apartments;
  • Ban corporations from buying existing affordable rental buildings and hiking rents;
  • Provide low-interest publicly-backed loans to families buying their first home, saving families thousands annually.

Todd Hoffman, People’s Party of Canada

nada is a concern for many. 

The People’s Party of Canada (PPC) has a plan to help ease this problem which in essence is the shrinking of individual savings. Here are three, of several, consideration points. Firstly, the PPC would privatize or dismantle the CMHC, a government agency that fuels the housing crisis instead of cooling it down. All it has done is encourage Canadians to buy houses they cannot afford. 

Secondly, The Bank of Canada inflation targets need to be modified, from two per cent to zero per cent. This would cool down inflation in all sectors, including housing. 

Thirdly, the PPC would work to end supply management by the food cartel. This would lower the next biggest household expense, which is groceries, thereby putting more disposable income in people’s pockets. 

The PPC will have people living in homes without financial stress.

Brian Nolan, Conservative party

A Conservative government will take concrete action to address this crisis by increasing housing supply, making home ownership more affordable and supporting rental and affordable housing projects.

  • Increasing housing supply

We will work with municipalities to cut red tape and fast-track housing approvals, ensuring that new homes can be built faster and more efficiently. By incentivizing local governments to meet housing targets, we can increase the number of homes available and reduce upward pressure on prices. Additionally, we will promote the development of multi-unit housing and rental projects to create more affordable living options for residents.

  • Making home ownership more affordable

The rising cost of home ownership is pushing families out of the market. A Conservative government will focus on lowering inflation and stabilizing interest rates through responsible fiscal management, making it easier for families to afford mortgages. We have announced that we will remove the GST on homes below $1.3 million for everyone, which will provide significant relief, particularly in our riding. 

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