Province investing in local roads
TRecord Staff
he Government of Quebec announced financial aid totaling $2,429,734 to towns and municipalities in the Eastern Townships on Wednesday in order to improve local road networks. The communities of Compton, Sainte-anne-dela-rochelle, Lawrenceville, and Saintecatherine-de-hatley all benefit from the new funding, which is being drawn from the Acceleration of investments in the local road network and Rehabilitation of local road infrastructures components of the Local Road Assistance Program.
“The financial assistance announced today will support cities and municipalities in the maintenance and improvement of their road network,” said Transport Minister François Bonnardel. “I would also like to point out that $ 4.7 billion will be invested over the next two years in the highway system under the responsibility of the Department of Transport.”
The breakdown of the funds is as follows: $239,267 to Compton, $149,475 to Sainteanne-de-la-rochelle, $1,540,992 to Lawrenceville, and $500,000 to Saintecatherine-de-hatley. The Rehabilitation of local road infrastructures component of the Local Road Assistance Program aims to improve the overall state of the local road network by providing financial assistance for the realization of work identified by cities or municipalities as part of an intervention plan. The Acceleration of investments in the local road network aims to improve the overall condition of the local road network by providing financial assistance for works that are not eligible for the Rehabilitation of local road infrastructures component. Compton-stanstead MP and Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food Marie-claude Bibeau celebrated the investiture of Sherbrooke candidate Élisabeth Brière, alongside Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday, as Canada inches towards a crucial federal election.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made his way to Sherbrooke on Tuesday, August 20, to announce the investiture of Élisabeth Brière as the Liberal candidate for Sherbrooke in for the 2019 federal election. Brière is facing a great challenge, as the Sherbrooke riding was last represented by a Liberal MP in 1984. Compton-stanstead MP Marie-claude Bibeau and many other
Liberal representatives were present at the Times Hotel for the event.
Brière works as a notary in Sherbrooke and has been highly involved in the community. She is the Maison Aube-lumière’s chair of the board of directors and has been a lecturer at Sherbrooke University since 1995. Her investiture with the Liberal Party of Canada (LPC) is her first experience in federal politics.
“I can really feel the energy in this room,” said Bibeau to the several dozens of Liberal supporters gathered as she
introduced Brière. “We have a positive energy because our politics are positive. In 2015, there was a red wave on the Atlantic, with 40 Liberal representatives in Quebec. It has been 26 years that Sherbrooke has been sitting on the opposition benches in Ottawa, and it’s time for that to end.”
“Élisabeth Brière is an exceptional candidate. She has a big heart with strong values. She is a notary, a conference
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speaker, instructor, and she is known for her professionalism. She is involved with the community, she believes in the well-being of people, and she believes in preserving the environment,” added the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food. “She’s a mother of three and her family is there to back her up. Trust me, you need a strong support to dive into politics. Élisabeth is also an athlete and she is ready to put on her running shoes to run this campaign.”
“I’m proud to be part of Justin Trudeau’s team. His leadership and the overview of what he’s done over the last four years make me want to join the team to help build a stronger community in Sherbrooke,” began Brière after a warm welcome by the crowd. “The LPC has improved social programs such as the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) and taken 825,000 people out of poverty, including 300,000 children. They have created over one million jobs, have recorded the lowest unemployment rate in 40 years, they have invested in this country’s infrastructure, and so much more.”
“I have to highlight the great work that Marie-claude Bibeau and her team have done. They have worked on major projects that have had positive impacts, such as the $1.75 B that was announced in support of dairy fairmers,” added the aspiring representative, who, if elected, would become the first woman to represent Sherbrooke in Ottawa.
According to Brière, she joined the LPC because of her convictions and a convergence of three elements: her career, society’s current condition, and the Conservative threat. “If I look at my career in the last 30 years, I can say that I’ve been privileged. I have helped a lot of people, I have listened to them, supported them, informed them, and accompanied them in happy moments, but sad ones as well,” she said, referring to her work at the Maison Aube-lumière, a non-profit palliative care hospice in Sherbrooke.
“I have been able to involve myself in the community and I support many causes and community organizations, like Aube-lumière, the Alzheimer Society, and the Orchestre symphonique de Sherbrooke. And despite my heavy involvement, I’ve always tried to conciliate my work life and my family life,” she admitted. “Family is the very foundation that our society is built on, and Trudeau’s commitment to middle-class families is at the heart of my decision to join the LPC. It was also a family decision with my husband and sons to enter politics.”
“Although my work life is already very fulfilling and my involvement in the community very rewarding, I know I can do more and I want to do more,” affirmed Brière. “When I see the challenges we’re facing here at home and around the world like the rise of populism, the growing cynicism, the apathy, and the lack of compassion, I’m reminded of how lucky we are to live in Canada and I want to take part in protecting and promoting our values.”
She mentioned that she wanted to build a better future for the Sherbrooke community, the country, and the planet. “Am I an idealist?” she asked. “Maybe. But I think it’s always possible to do better. I don’t want a rule under Andrew Scheer, which would basically be Harper 2.0, with
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his opposition to women’s rights and his obsession with austerity and cutting public services. We have to protect our values.”
“If I’m elected, I will make sure to implement measures to protect the environment. Every gesture counts, no matter how small. I will continue to invest in hybrid public transport, stop the use of single-use plastics, and promote and support the development of eco-friendly technologies,” added Bernier. “Only the PLC can make a real difference. I also care deeply about the condition of women. Lately, there has been a resurgence of anti-abortion groups and ideologies. This is unlike the values of equality, tolerance, and inclusivity that the PLC has advocated. We need to protect the rights we have worked hard to achieve and to keep fighting for equality,” she maintained. “I also want to advocate for immigration, for our need for it and the way we welcome immigrants. We need immigration for our workforce, and we need to fight against the Conservatives and those who want us to believe that immigrants are a threat. We also need to integrate immigrants by supporting community organizations and promoting cultural exchange with events like the Festival des Traditions du Monde. I’ll also prioritize families. The CCB has really made a difference in the lives of Canadians and we need to save it from the Conservatives’ heartless budget cuts,” asserted Brière. “As of January 2019, the CCB helped over 10,000 families, including 18,000 children, right here in this riding, as they received over $6 M in assistance. The LPC has done a record level of investments during its mandate, but better is always possible. I also want to modernize Sherbrooke’s infrastructures, to make our city a true hub of innovation, research, and tourism.”
“I invite citizens to vote for the LPC this fall. We do not want to go backwards with the Conservatives, we don’t want to choose a representative with no real power, and we don’t want to bring back old constitutional wrangling,” she contended. “We will give ourselves a strong voice by voting for determined and committed women like Marie-claude Bibeau and myself to represent Sherbrooke in Ottawa.”
Premier Trudeau took the opportunity to celebrate Bernier and say a few words himself. “I know that when we look at politics nowadays, it’s easy to feel depressed and frustrated. There’s always something to fight about and to be negative about. But what I see here is a room full of people involved in their community, who are optimists, and want to support this extraordinary candidate. I see people who believe in positive politics,” he expressed.
“Unlike the Conservatives’ choice of austerity, we want to invest in our communities, in our infrastructures, in our middleclass families and in everyone working hard to join that class. Everything that we have accomplished so far was not the work of the LPC,” he ensured. “All our successes were brought here by Canadians. Your ambition, your hard work, your positivity, your involvement, and your compassion have made this possible. I see this spirit in Sherbrooke, in Quebec, and in all of Canada.”
“A lot of politicians out there have chosen to play up fears, amplify divisions, and exacerbate polarization and partisanship to turn people off of politics and to have them stay at home and believe that better isn’t actually possible,” explained Trudeau. “In 2015, Canadians made a clear choice to make a positive step forward, and to say that they want a government that is ambitious for their country, that is willing to step up and invest in our future, in Canadians, and in a better world. That’s what we have done.”
According to Trudeau, the choice is clear between what the LPC offers and a populist vision that has been more and more present in the last four years. “In 2015, I told myself that if we were able to pull off a positive campaign that didn’t rely on attack ads and the politics of negativity and division, that if we put forward a positive vision of our country and our ability to step up, we could change politics because we would show that a positive vision could mobilize and indeed win an election over polarization and negativity. But I was wrong,” conceded the prime minister.
“We’ve seen an intensification of negativity, polarization, populism, protectionism, excessive nationalism in the world, insular ideas, and division. All these can brew strong feelings, they can bring people to the polls, but they will never let a government rule fairly for all,” he declared. “We know that fear will never solve the great challenges that lie ahead of Canadians. Fear won’t solve our economic challenges, fear won’t save the environment, fear won’t give Canada a better place on the global stage, and fear won’t improve reconciliation with Canada’s Indigenous Peoples.” Prime Minister Trudeau recognized that there was a lot of work that still needed to be done in the country. “We will have many discussions in the upcoming weeks. You are all part of our team: ministers, representatives, candidates, volunteers, activists, organizers, and citizens. We all have a social duty to reflect on how to provide a better future for our children and grandchildren,” he said. “Our opponents want you to be afraid, they want you to doubt our abilities to build a stronger country, to create opportunities and to solve problems. The last four years have been the stage for incredible progress but there is a lot of work to do, and we’ll do it together.”