Liberals need fresh, engaged faces, according to Reid
With confirmation of Pierre Reid’s departure from political life on Monday morning, it has become clear that the Provincial Liberal Party (PLQ) team in the Eastern Townships will look quite different this coming fall than it has for the last several years. Although the PLQ was able to sweep the region in the 2014 general election, representatives Guy Hardy, Karine Vallières, and now Reid have each said that they will not be seeking a new mandate while the region’s most experienced Liberal MNA, Pierre Paradis, remains on medical leave from the National Assembly and outside of the Liberal caucus.
Asked about what he feels the changes signify about the Liberal party’s standing in the region, Reid shared a feeling that the retirements taking place here and across the province represent a changing of the guard.
“We need young MNAS,” Reid said, encouraging concerned individuals to look at the average age of those stepping back. While repeating the fact that he still feels up to the demands of political life, he pointed out that the job is stressful and time consuming and argued that fresh faces and ideas help keep a political party vibrant.
“You have to be willing to be present, all year round, in the different cities and villages and organizations and events of the region: This is something you cannot avoid,” the MNA said. “If someone is not interested in talking with people and being with people, it’s better not to run.”
Reid pointed to Sherbrooke MNA and current Minister of Families Luc Fortin as the poster boy of the Liberal’s needs.
“It’s a difficult balance, but look at Luc Fortin.” Reid said. “He is not only an MNA, but he is also a minister, which is the worst because you are busy all year round.”
Although the Orford MNA acknowledged his Sherbrooke counterpart’s welldocumented struggle with workload and burnout in 2016, he pointed to Fortin’s return to take on other ministerial duties in a balanced way as a sign that the young politician does things differently.
“This new generation knows that at some point in time you say no, I will have days with my family,” Reid said. “(Fortin) knows what (burnout) means, and he is able to say no where someone my age might say let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!”
Although Fortin has yet to address the question of whether or not he will seek re-election, Reid praised him and his work\life balance as an ideal that more young MNAS should seek to match.
Asked about his thoughts on a specific successor for the Orford riding, Reid first stated that it is the job of the local riding association to attract a candidate, but then added (without naming names) that he feels all of the most interesting candidates in the area are already very busy people.
“They must give some time and thought to the matter and make the decision that is best for them,” the veteran politician said, “What is important is to have people who are representative of the kind of life we have here.”
Reid said that he doesn’t put much stock in the idea of candidates seeking election outside of their home riding, even though he acknowledged that neither he nor Fortin are native to the ridings in which they now serve.
“In my case I had been more than 20 years in Sherbrooke, and some people had questions about what a university rector and doctor of pure mathematics would do (in Orford),” he said. “They didn’t know that I come from a region very similar to Magog. The people in the bingo salons are exactly like my neighbours in Jonquiere, and I loved my small town when I was young.”
In addition to being able to connect with rural life, the outgoing Orford MNA said that anyone who wants to represent Orford needs to come to the table ready to work with and support the local English population.
“To be MNA of Orford, means you have to be representative of the regional English speaking communities,” Reid said, stating that more than half the riding was “either officially or effectively bilingual.”