Marquette MNA Ouimet says he’ll seek an eighth mandate
Liberal MNA eyes expansion of hospital, métro as he gears up for tough campaign
Liberal MNA François Ouimet has been serving the riding of Marquette since 1994. Last week he announced his intention to run in the next provincial election. If he wins, he will become the dean of the National Assembly, with nearly a quarter of a century of political experience in his portfolio.
Ouimet is 58. The veteran politician received 62.5 per cent of the vote in the 2014 election — a slam dunk — but the campaign ahead is shaping up to be an uphill climb, with the Liberals trailing in the polls. So why would he want to run again for a job that is often thankless, always time-consuming and has been known to throw a wrench into one’s family life?
“I love what I do,” he said. “I’m passionate about serving people.”
Before entering politics, Ouimet completed his law studies at McGill University and was admitted to the Canadian bar, Quebec bar and Montreal bar in 1989. He practised law through 1994 and served as chair of the Catholic School Commission of Montreal from 1991 to 1994.
His time as chair served him well, triggering his keen interest in protecting the province’s school boards. His involvement in education issues eventually led to the political accomplishment of which he is the proudest: In 1996-97, Ouimet played a role in convincing the federal government to amend the Constitution to allow for the dismantling of religious school boards to create linguistic school boards.
“We fought so hard,” he said. “It was a major victory at the time.”
Ouimet said it is crucial for the English community to maintain control of its education institution. Any other way would see it reduced to functioning as a minority within a preponderant system.
“Some improvements are necessary, such as working on participation rates and voting turnout, but it’s not necessary to get rid of an institution because of things that need to be tweaked,” he said.
Over the last seven mandates, he has seen big projects evolve in the Marquette riding, including the building of the sound wall in Lachine, which saw the provincial government pay 75 per cent of the cost and the borough 25 per cent, and the transformation of the Dorval Circle. Ouimet acknowledged the frustrating, protracted timeline for the completion of the Dorval Circle project, which was first announced in 2005. The final touches are slated to be done in 2019. Ouimet has two major priorities. On June 25, Quebec Health Minister Gaetan Barrette announced a $95-million expansion of the Lachine Hospital that was built in 1939 and is in need of a major upgrade to serve the growing needs of the population.
“I want to see all the stages through (to completion),” Ouimet said.
The project is set to break ground in 2020 and be done by 2023.
And Ouimet would like to pursue the vision of the so-called Pink métro line, introduced by the Projet Montréal party during the 2017 municipal elections.
“The Train de l’Ouest (initiative) was the priority for many years, but now that the REM (light-rail) project is underway, I’d love to see a métro line to serve Lachine and Dorval,” Ouimet said.
The father of three said his oldest daughter is often asking why the sector doesn’t have a métro. And the REM network runs parallel to Highway 40 in the West Island, which means it completely bypasses Lachine’s residential sector.
Ouimet steps into the campaign ring with a message. “People say they want change. But look at (our) economic achievements over the last four years. It’s not a good idea to stop midway. We need another term to continue the progress.”