Let’s dream 2024 | The Press

Time, peace, smiles? What do we dream of for 2024? Ten personalities share with us their wishes for the year. What do they want to see more of? As long as they dream, what would they like to see less of? In bulk, lots of ideas for dreaming in a big way.

Émile Proulx-Cloutier, actor, singer-songwriter

” Time. Racing drivers experience it: speed reduces the field of vision. I wish us to slow down to see more broadly. We want more exchanges – face to face – with people who think differently and live differently. »

“Less anger, noise, pressure, contempt. Fewer trials of intentions and minute opinions, fewer conversations with robots. Fewer words and gestures that dehumanize. »

Sonia Lupien, director of the Center for the Study of Human Stress

“Time to do in-depth work, without being constantly interrupted by emails and messages of all kinds. When you can concentrate on a single task, it relieves stress, the brain likes that. And more smiles shared with strangers and positive exchanges, because that too feels good. »

“Less stress for health and education workers, who are the pillars of society. Can we give them a better quality of life? And less incivility on social networks, so that we can express ourselves freely, without suffering. It would be fun if trolls were no longer in fashion. »

Philippe-Audrey Larrue-St-Jacques, comedian

“No more delicacy. […] It seems to me that there is plenty of room for efficiency […], but nothing prevents us from combining delicacy through the gentleness of a look, the finesse of a thought, the elegance of a gesture. Delicacy which, in addition to exempting us from vulgarities and platitudes, offers us one of the most subtle and pleasant ways of expressing respect and affection. »

“I hope for fewer self-service checkouts, please. Tell me about a project that didn’t deliver on its promises. It had to be effective, simple, progress! But a crate is perpetually broken and a single employee heroically tries to manage eight frozen crates because some people were foolish enough to try to buy an exotic fruit without a code. Result: the simple and efficient operation has the same fluidity as a rush hour during the first storm. »

Martine St-Victor, communications strategist and general manager, Edelman Montreal

“I would like more commitments from large companies in major social projects. I also hope that more business leaders realize that their influence extends beyond the walls of their offices and that this influence is, in fact, a social responsibility. They must therefore be more active in solving issues. »

“I would like to see much less use of the word woke (and its derivatives) by those who, visibly, do not know what the word means. »

Caroline Quach, pediatrician, microbiologist-infectious disease specialist

“More beautiful, accessible to all. In our metros, our schools, our hospitals… Are we forced to take projects from the lowest bidder, without having any beauty criteria? In health, more prevention. There is a lot of emphasis on curative treatment, but preventing the development of the disease and the risk factors leading to these diseases is essential. »

“Less conflict, on a small and large scale. And in health, fewer healthcare teams on the verge of implosion, and less staff turnover. It takes years to develop expertise, and believing that we can always move personnel according to the holes we have to fill is unthinkable. »

Anas Hassouna, comedian, actor and ambassador of Tel-Jeunes 2022-2023

“I wish young people, especially those growing up in warmer neighborhoods, more examples to follow. It’s an age where you can be easily impressed by bad things, bad musical artists, people who represent dark things, let’s say. When you’re young, you don’t have the perspective to sort things out. I really wish young people examples that inspire them. […] Even more than role models, I wish young people to find passions, positive outlets, goals. »

“I want less violence. Gun violence, especially. There have been a lot of them lately. And young people are unfortunately over-represented. »

Philippe Dubuc, fashion designer

“This prolonged post-pandemic period may dampen the enthusiasm of many entrepreneurs in the retail sector. I want to discover more new, creative stores with unique products. The vitality of our cities depends, among other things, on the quality of our merchants and customers. »

“The orange color of the road cones. I would like to see fewer road obstacles in order to allow better urban fluidity to facilitate access to our local retail businesses. »

Catherine Dorion, artist, author and former member of Québec solidaire

“No more slowness, time truly freed from our to-do lists, nuances and curiosity, long walks, afternoon naps, emotion, long moments of shared poetry, of love that has the time to deploy. »

“Less absurd demands in the workplace, addiction to social networks, hasty judgments, urgency (urgent does not bring happiness!), nonsense erected into a system, productivity pressure, tanks everywhere. »

Jessica Barker, presenter, actress and author of the book Mom, tell me: motherhood without filter or taboo

“We need to put more humor into our lives as parents. More lightness. We need to stop thinking that every thing we say to our children will possibly cause hurt. »

“What we should let go of, the big thing, in my opinion, in parenting, is to think that there is a recipe and that this recipe will make us successful in our life as parents. I think there are a lot more unknowns in parenting than we accept. […] We need to stop thinking that everything is beautiful, everything is smooth, everything is extraordinary. It’s like in love or at work, in parenthood, there are beautiful days and there are less beautiful ones. »

Louis-François Marcotte, restaurateur and entrepreneur

“I would like more encouragement for our restaurateurs, I know there is inflation, but if we can simply help our restaurateurs by going for a coffee or a small dessert, that gives a boost to our local economy . This is very important because we are going through difficult times. We are privileged to make a living from our passion, we shine internationally, but we must continue to support us. »

“I would like less improvisation in the financial planning of our restaurants, less accounting frivolity. It is essential to have rigor in the finances of our businesses, and in the daily catering. […] Passion and rigor must coexist. »

Comments collected by Silvia Galipeau, Olivia Lévy, Catherine Handfield and Véronique Larocque, The Press