On the eve of the start of the 43e legislature, The duty invited outgoing MEPs to give some advice to recruits to help them avoid getting lost in the maze of the political world. Third handover, between Méganne Perry Mélançon and Madwa-Nika Cadet.
“Have fun, go for it without restraint, without reservation,” says Méganne Perry Mélançon as her first advice to Madwa-Nika Cadet, newly elected as a Liberal in the riding of Bourassa-Sauvé, in Montreal. Looking back, the former PQ MP for Gaspé, Mme Perry Mélançon, regrets having “too much [cherché à] avoid missteps” during his only mandate.
In her car, en route to Gaspé to move what she had accumulated in her Quebec home over the past four years, the former Parti Québécois elected official does not see herself “as a loser”, even if she has was defeated on October 3. “This job […]he won for the riding, I put all my heart and all my energy, “she said, her eyes shining, after having immobilized her vehicle in Sainte-Hélène-de-Kamouraska, in Bas-Saint-Laurent, to join the video call.
To serve citizens well, Madwa-Nika Cadet must keep in mind that her “voice counts as much” as that of other elected officials, argues Ms.me Perry Melancon. “At the beginning, we store, we learn [politiciens expérimentés]but at some point you also have to be able to just assert yourself, ”said the one who had been designated a rising star by her fellow MPs.
Take “more risks”
Elected at the age of 28, in 2018, Méganne Perry Mélançon confides that she “should have taken more risks” to be more in the media space. “If you are too self-effacing or too politically correct, at some point, no one puts the microphone in front of you. [Il ne faut pas] misrepresent itself, but the media are always looking for the little something out of the ordinary. »
An asset that Liberal MP Marwah Rizqy, re-elected in Saint-Laurent, has, she underlines. But the former elected member of the PQ recognizes that she could not have “played the Marwah”. “It wouldn’t have been like me. »
Madwa-Nika Cadet says she also noticed the work of Mme Rizqy, even though their personalities are “very different”, according to her. “I have a little more personality”by the book”, it will be interesting to navigate with that”, says the lawyer.
Maintain good relations between elected officials
Méganne Perry Mélançon has fond memories of several MPs from other parties. “Relations in politics, I find that is the most beautiful and enriching thing,” she says.
Among the Liberals, Mr.me Perry Mélançon appoints ex-MP Christine St-Pierre. “We don’t have the same life or the same experience at all, but in the commission [spéciale] on the sexual exploitation of minors, [Mme St-Pierre] played an important role, and she made me walk a lot in this. »
Several issues are settled when the cameras are off, “on the floor of the Blue Room”, between ministers and deputies from the opposition parties, she continues. “On TV, we are always in question periods, it throws tomatoes”, admits Mme Perry Melancon. The reality is more nuanced.
Words that reassure Madwa-Nika Cadet, since in the parliamentary contest, “sometimes, it plays hard”, she raises. “If we get into this, we have our convictions. I think the biggest fear is thinking, “Are we going to get lost in this?” »
For the new elected member of the Liberal Party of Quebec, it is necessary to remain faithful to her “personality of collaboration”. She appoints former PQ MNA Véronique Hivon, known for her cross-partisan work. “She is a female role model” in politics, she said. A model “that works”, adds Méganne Perry Mélançon.
Know how to put virtual barriers
Among the “darker” aspects of being a woman in politics, Madwa-Nika Cadet addresses the issue of sexist comments online. “People hide behind a screen, behind profile names that are not theirs and that allow them to say anything,” she laments.
The attacks on female politicians mainly concern their physique and not their skills, adds the former PQ member. “It gets frustrating,” she breathes.
Posting a code of ethics in your social media biography can help manage internet users who overstep the mark, she says. ” [Vous pouvez ainsi] say: look, I’m going to have to block you because you don’t respect such and such a thing, and we apply this code. »
Méganne Perry Mélançon also says that it was her advisers who wrote the first response to citizens who contacted her on the Messenger application. ” Whether [j’avais] to intervene, I took over the file. But it allows you to keep a certain distance which is not bad for your safety. »
Madwa-Nika Cadet sees valuable advice in this. “People don’t see us the same way, there’s a familiarity that comes with being a young woman. […] I’m 5-foot-2, she laughs. It looks silly, but it also plays into it. »
Despite everything, becoming an MP remains an “absolutely brilliant” experience, underlines Méganne Perry Mélançon. “So I would like to be in your shoes and live [cette expérience] from the very beginning,” she told Ms.me Cadet, a smile in his voice. Between the two 32-year-old women, the current passes.
Bulk advice from Méganne Perry Mélançon