Who’s who in Compton-stanstead
The Compton-stanstead riding includes all of the Coaticook and Hautsaint-françois regional county municpalities; the municipality of Stoke; the town of Stanstead; the villages of Ayer’s Cliff and North Hatley; the municipalities of Hatley, Ogden and Ste-catherine-de-hatley; Hatley and Stanstead townships, and the boroughs of Lennoxville and Brompton-rock Forest- Stélie-deauville in Sherbrooke.
There are seven candidates running for election in the Compton-stanstead riding: David Benoît-bloc Québécois Marie-claude Bibeau (incumbent)-liberal Party of Canada
Naomie Mathieu-chauvette-new Democratic Party
Jessy Mcneil-conservative
Canada
Paul Reed-people’s Party of Canada Jean Rousseau-green Party of Canada Jonathan Therrien-parti Rhinocéros Party
Liberal Marie-claude Bibeau currently holds the riding and is running for reelection. Before that (2011-2015) the riding was held by Jean Rousseau, a member of the NDP at the time. In 2004, Comptonstanstead was represented by the Bloc. In 2000, the riding was Liberal.
The following is a brief introduction of the candidates looking to represent Compton-stanstead in Ottawa.
When asked about the main challenges to be addressed in Comptonstanstead, Bloc Québécois candidate David Benoît said protecting agricultural producers would be one of his priorities if elected, specifically defending supply management and helping producers who suffered losses due to trade agreements.
Railway safety is another challenge, Party of Benoit said, pointing out that the poor state of railroads has been known for the past six years, but nothing has been done to improve the situation. Benoît said he would like to see more inspectors on the job, and added that municipalities should be warned in advance when trains carrying oil are scheduled to pass through.
While this is his first federal election campaign, Benoît said he has had a passion for politics since the age of 13. The 27-year-old candidate said he always tries to be a voice for people. Drawing on his experience as vice-president of the youth forum of the Bloc party, Benoît said his candidacy is a testament to the youthful renewal of the party.
When asked about addressing the needs of the English population in Compton-stanstead, Benoît recognized the reality is different for those living outside of Montreal. In an effort to help the community thrive, Benoît said he would focus on making sure resources were properly distributed outside city centres to meet the needs of English-speakers.
While a big part of the Bloc’s platform is to put Quebec first, Benoît said a good decision to improve the wellbeing of the local population could also benefit the rest of Canada. He said he would maintain a good relationship with colleagues in Ottawa even though his party’s focus is Quebec.
Naomie Mathieu-chauvette, running for the New Democratic Party, said her three top priorities were the environment, agriculture and health.
“I’m 21 years old,” she said, explaining she would like to grow old in a healthy environment.
“Today is the time to make commitments,” Mathieu-chauvette said.
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With around 60 per cent of the Compton-stanstead riding being rural, Mathieu-chauvette said supporting small farms and defending supply management were important, as well as reducing the family land transfer tax.
“Health shouldn’t be dependent on a person’s salary,” Mathieu-chauvette explained, saying the NDP would like to introduce drug and medical insurance plans to help families save money.
“I’m here for the right reasons,” Mathieu-chauvette said, when asked what made her a good candidate to represent the riding. “I listen to people,” she said, adding her goal would be take concrete action to improve the quality of life of constituents.
When asked about the needs of Anglophones in the region, Mathieu-chauvette recognized the importance of listening to the population and understanding their unique challenges in order to find ways to help.
“I’m here, and I’m listening,” Mathieuchauvette said, adding that she would fight for the environment, and agriculture, and health, for a better quality of life for the Compton-stanstead population. “Not for the rich, or the elite,” she added, “for the people in this community.”
Liberal Party of Canada incumbent Marie-claude Bibeau referred to the labour shortage in Compton-stanstead as one of the biggest issues to be addressed.
According to Bibeau, rural connectivity and labour shortages are limiting growth in the riding.
“I meet so many employers who can’t take new contracts,” Bibeau said.
“I know the riding well,” Bibeau went on, explaining why she is the right choice to continue representing Comptonstanstead.
She added that her team is one of her greatest attributes, providing a strong voice for the riding in Ottawa.
“If I open a door, I know they will be there to follow up.”
“An MP should be more than a passport office,” Bibeau said, referring to over 920 activities that she attended during her recent mandate, as well as having a hand in close to 500 projects in the riding.
“I stay close to the citizens,” Bibeau said, adding that she maintains contact with the municipalities of the riding.
When asked if holding a cabinet position detracted from her ability to serve the Compton-stanstead riding, Bibeau said not at all.
“There are more opportunities to know what’s going on and have more influence on decision-making,” she said.
“Every week I’m face to face with the Prime Minister, this is a huge strength.”
When asked how she would approach a second mandate if she were in opposition, Bibeau replied, “It would make a difference, but not in my commitment.”
“I know how to make projects move forward,” she said, “me personally, and my team, would be as dedicated and continue to work with leaders in the community.”
People’s Party of Canada candidate Paul Reed said he believes the most important issue in the Compton-stanstead riding is the same for most Canadians-a strong economy.
“The environment is discussed a lot,” Reed said, pointing out that it is often with a sense of urgency. “Not many good decisions are made when we are panicking,” he said, explaining that he would work towards tangible results in the local area to address environmental issues.
Reed said he got involved in politics because he believes in the free market and every individual’s right to their own choices.
“I’ve been a resident here all my life. I’m raising a family here. I care about the future,” he added, explaining what makes him a good candidate for the riding.
“I have a passion for economics, how it works,” he said, adding that is essential for a politician to do a good job. Reed added that he studied law, and has worked with a family-run business for 15 years. He believes his strong analytical skills and ability to communicate in a meaningful way with people would make him a strong MP.
According to Reed, balancing the budget should be a top priority.
“We have to live within our means,” he said, adding that spending money like there were no consequences to running a deficit was unethical.
With an English-speaking father and a mother of Belgian descent, Reed said he is uniquely positioned to understand the needs of Anglophones in Comptonstanstead. People should be able to speak the language of their choice, he said.
Part of the platform of the People’s Party is the intention to dismantle supply management, a contentious issue in a dairy-heavy riding.
Reed said it would be done gradually and in a way where farmers were reimbursed for their quotas, to transition slowly into an open market.
Jessy Mcneil, running for the Conservative Party of Canada, identified railway security as the main issue in the riding.
“Once it’s secure, then we can add passenger transport,” Mcneil said. “We can’t have another Megantic.”
Shortening the wait for temporary foreign workers is another issue, Mcneil said needs to be addressed. As it stands, agriculture producers are waiting between six to eight months to request a temporary worker, Mcneil said.
Mcneil added that the cannabis operation in Weedon and the Sherbrooke Airport are two files that are not moving fast enough, and he would address them quickly if elected.
“I’m a man of action. Give me an order, I’ll see that it gets done,” Mcneil said, explaining his strengths as a candidate. Mcneil is military trained, and also started and ran three businesses in the area over the last 20 years. “I can start a project, and make it work,” Mcneil said, adding that he is good at creating relationships.
Mcneil said the security of the population would be his priority if elected, referring to rail safety. He added that the Sherbrooke Airport is something that he would budget for immediately.
“The English population would be in good hands with me,” Mcneil said, adding that he has been taking English classes three times per week for the past two months.
If elected, Mcneil said he would spend his first few months out meeting people and creating links in the community.
Green Party of Canada candidate Jean Rousseau represented the riding as member of the NDP from 20011-2015.
“I think the world changed, not only the riding,” Rousseau said.
When asked about the biggest issues in the Compton Stanstead riding to be addressed, Rousseau explained that there is a rural and an urban aspect to consider. For rural communities, Rousseau said protecting supply management and supporting the forestry industry was important.
For the rural area, Rousseau said the Coventry Dump needs to be addressed, to protect the drinking water.
“I’m honest, transparent, easy to talk to,” Rousseau said, describing his qualities as a strong candidate. “And I play rick and roll,” he joked.
“I’m not here to please anyone. I’m here to tell you what we need to do. The transition period is now,” Rousseau said, explaining it is time to put an end to fossil fuel exploitation.
“We have the capacity in Canada to do that right now.”
When asked about serving the Englishspeaking population, Rousseau said one of the biggest challenges for Anglophones in Compton Stanstead is youth retention. “There are no jobs in the riding, so they just move away,” he said.
Rousseau added that he would make sure municipalities would continue to offer services and resources in English.
“The world is changing because of the youth,” Rousseau said, “And that’s OK. It’s going to be their turn soon.” Marie-claude Bibeau -Liberal