In full swing to face the hurricane Fiona heading for the archipelago, the Îles-de-la-Madeleine find themselves in an unusual political situation. While PQ MP Joël Arseneau has been without a mandate since the dissolution of the National Assembly, the mayor of the municipality, Jonathan Lapierre, who has become a candidate for the CAQ, has delegated his powers to an interim mayor… who is currently outside from the country.
Posted at 6:43 p.m.
It is therefore the acting mayor, Richard Leblanc, a long-time municipal councilor, who will become the man of the situation in the event of a crisis.
The Canadian Hurricane Center (CCPO) predicted, Thursday afternoon, that winds of more than 130 km / h could hit the Magdalen Islands overnight from Saturday to Sunday. Its intensity could even be “a little stronger than what we saw with [l’ouragan] Dorian “, which caused significant damage in eastern Canada in 2019, warned meteorologist Bob Robichaud.
36 hours from the arrival of Fionathe “cone of uncertainty” of the trajectory covered a gigantic territory extending from eastern New Brunswick to western Newfoundland, passing through central Nova Scotia and Cape Breton.
On the archipelago of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, campgrounds, still fairly popular with tourists, have announced their closure from Friday for security reasons. “About fifty motorhomes have had to leave since we made the announcement on Tuesday,” explains Alexis Lemieux, general manager of the Corporation du Parc de Gros-Cap. Most have managed to find a place on the ferry and have left the Islands, but there are still two or three who will have to take shelter in a wooded area. »
Hydro-Québec has dispatched some twenty additional employees to the scene, including a dozen linemen, five bucket trucks and equipment to repair the damage that the storm may cause.
A political vacuum… and tensions
The arrival of the storm and the kind of political vacuum caused by the call of the elections gave rise, Thursday, to a certain tension between the mayor Jonathan Lapierre, also candidate of the CAQ, and the incumbent PQ MP Joël Arseneau.
Jonathan Lapierre claimed on Facebook Wednesday evening to have “taken a break from the electoral campaign in order to take stock of Hurricane Fiona”, accompanying his publication with a snapshot of a virtual meeting with the Minister of Public Security, Geneviève Guilbault, and the Minister of Transport, François Bonnardel.
PHOTO FROM JONATHAN LAPIERRE’S FACEBOOK PAGE
Jonathan Lapierre, Mayor of the Îles-de-la-Madeleine, during a virtual meeting with Transport Minister François Bonnardel (left) and Public Security Minister Geneviève Guilbault (right)
“Together, we had managed the aftermath of Dorian, which had hit the Islands three years ago, and our government is currently monitoring the situation hour by hour,” said Mr. Lapierre, saying he had “full confidence in the teams municipal authorities in place and their great competence”.
Mr. Lapierre at the same time invited the Madelinots “to be ready[s] to answer [leurs] needs and those of [leur] family for a period of 72 hours and to remain cautious”.
Shortly after, outgoing MP Joël Arseneau openly wondered if it was “a partisan discussion between CAQ candidates”, or rather “a ministerial intervention”. “If in your capacity as ministers you meet the candidates, I am available,” he argued on Twitter.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Joël Arseneau, MP for Îles-de-la-Madeleine for the Parti Québécois
I remember you […] that the interim mayor of the Îles-de-la-Madeleine is Gaétan Richard and the acting mayor, Richard Leblanc. They are the only local elected officials to contact in anticipation of a state of emergency.
Joël Arseneau, MP for Îles-de-la-Madeleine for the Parti Québécois
In writing, the press attaché for Minister Geneviève Guilbault, Louis-Julien Dufresne, explained to The Press that it was “a preliminary meeting at the request of the candidate from the Îles-de-la-Madeleine”.
“Other more formal meetings will take place soon between all the stakeholders and the outgoing deputy and the deputy mayor will be invited”, he assured.
But for Joël Arseneau, the problem remains. “Rather than having a partisan meeting with the candidate for the Islands, I invite the Minister of Public Security, Geneviève Guilbault, to support the current deputy mayor, and to offer him the help and support of the government”, a- he insisted.
According to the latest news, MM. Lapierre and Arseneau were neck and neck in the polls. On Thursday, the poll aggregator Qc125 placed the Parti Québécois at 34% of voting intentions and the Coalition avenir Québec at 32%, followed by Québec solidaire and the Liberal Party, with 14%, and the Conservative Party, at 5%.