Soulanges result stands to be close once again

Voters in Soulanges will have one fewer candidate to choose from on April 7, but results could still be close in the riding where in 2012 just four per cent separated the winning and second-place candidates.

In 2012, incumbent Liberal MNA Lucie Charlebois, who is now seeking a fifth term, won her fourth with 35.05 per cent of the vote.

Parti Québécois candidate André Bouthillier trailed close behind with 30.9 per cent, while Coalition Avenir Québec candidate Mario Gagnier received 28.03 per cent.

Gagnier was forced to drop out of the race after the Directeur général des élections du Québec confirmed on Saturday that his nomination papers did not have enough valid signatures.

Bouthillier announced earlier this year that he would not be running again and would be replaced by former journalist Marie-Louise Séguin.

Séguin did not respond to The Gazette’s request for a comment.

Previously, she worked as a reporter and editor at RadioCanada and local newspapers L’Étoile and L’Écho. She served for four years as a councillor in St-Télesphore, before running unsuccessfully for mayor in 1995.

Frédéric Roy, a diesel mechanic and union representative, is running again for Option Nationale in the riding, where in 2012 he received 1.36 per cent of the vote.

Patricia Domingos, an independent candidate and the former mayor of Ste-Justine-deNewton, is also running again. She received 1.04 per cent of the vote in 2012.

When Charlebois goes doorto-door to speak with voters, she said many are asking about the economy, a regional hospital and a proposed logistics hub that she said could provide as many as 12,000 jobs in the area.

The sovereignty question and debate over the Charter of Values seemed to be less of a preoccupation for many in the region, she added.

“Young people are not bothered about the Charter and language. It’s not their primary concern,” Charlebois said.

Charlebois said she was asked about tensions between linguistic groups in the region. “There’s no problem around here. Everything’s going well between francophones, anglophones and allophones,” she responded, noting that most people in the region speak French, often as a second language.

“We’re near the Ontario border and we know how important it is to work together,” Charlebois said. “The only way we can improve is to stop talking about division.”

For Québec Solidaire candidate Andrée Bessette, the election is more about pushing long-term, gradual change and getting voters to talk about social justice issues, she said.

“It’s really nice, taking the time to speak with people and see that we all go through rough times and we all have the same questions — why is it going like this, and what can we do to change it?” Bessette said.

“Many people say respect is very important, justice is very important, being truthful is very important, but when you read the suggestions that some parties are making, you ask if they’re real. Are they making fun of us?” she asked.

“I got that feeling when I heard that the PLQ was in favour of abolishing the health tax, and then that the CAQ was agreeing with that. But when the PQ was trying to do that, (the PLQ and CAQ said) it was the worst thing you could do for Quebec finances — it would ruin us,” she said.

Citing the Parti Québécois’ proposal to increase daycare fees to $9 per day by 2015, Bessette said that she felt the larger parties are out of touch with the needs of lower- and middleincome voters.