Interview with Pablo Rodriguez | “I experienced it, poverty”

Federal Transport Minister fears Pierre Poilievre is abandoning the most vulnerable

(Ottawa) At another time, Pablo Rodriguez had to go to a Salvation Army counter in the Montreal area with his parents to get his hands on some clothes. His family also used food banks.

These visits were necessary if he wanted to be properly dressed for school or to eat his fill. His family had to leave his hometown of San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina, when he was 8 years old. His father had been imprisoned and tortured several times by the ruling military junta because of his political views.

A bomb explosion in the family home forced the Rodriguezes to quickly head for Canada to find refuge. It was essentially a matter of life and death.

Pablo Rodriguez’s first steps in Quebec were therefore marked by poverty. The Minister of Transport keeps these memories firmly in mind as federal elections loom on the horizon.

In interview with The Press, Justin Trudeau’s political lieutenant recognizes that the coming battle will be very tough. But he says he is ready to campaign in all directions in order not only to defend the record of the Trudeau government, but above all to protect the social programs that have been implemented for eight years and which have made it possible to extirpate hundreds of thousands of Canadians. of poverty.

A question of “deep values”

Important measures, such as the national daycare program and the national dental care program, could come under scrutiny if the leader of the Conservative Party, Pierre Poilievre, takes power after the next election. The Conservative leader promised to reduce the size of the federal government and eliminate the deficit. Such cuts would seriously harm the most vulnerable in society.

For Mr. Rodriguez, it is a question of “deep values”. It is essential to continue to build a fairer and more egalitarian society, he maintained, poorly hiding his emotions while remembering his first years on Quebec soil.

“I experienced it, poverty. I went to the food counters. We didn’t have any money. I got dressed thanks to the Salvation Army. I was walking through the Salvation Army. There were tables with linens on them. We chose how I dressed. So our social policies are essential. “It’s part of what the Liberal Party of Canada does,” he said with watery eyes.

For the past year, national polls have given the Conservative Party a lead of 15 to 20 points. Mr. Rodriguez agreed that the challenge facing the Liberal Party is imposing. But he believes that Justin Trudeau remains the best person to lead the Liberal troops.

“The challenge of obtaining another mandate is enormous. We are the government. We have a duty to deliver the goods, through the storms we are going through, through the attacks from the opposition, through the polls which are negative,” he said.

“But what we must do is not try to distort ourselves. We must remain faithful to our principles. We must be there for those who need us. The big people, the rich people, the Walmarts of this world, they don’t need us. They are very capable of defending themselves. But there are people who are not able to find rent. There are children who don’t eat in the morning. »

He also argued that an electoral campaign “matters,” and that voters will have a crucial choice to make.

“Enter a ring”

In an interview, Minister Pablo Rodriguez said he was concerned about the angry tone that has become the norm in the House of Commons since the arrival of Pierre Poilievre at the head of the Conservative Party.

“Without being partisan, let’s say that the arrival of Pierre Poilievre has greatly changed the tone in the House of Commons. The level of animosity, of personal attacks, put a heavy weight on the House of Commons. We have the impression, more than before, of entering a ring. It’s an extremely difficult context which, in my opinion, does not serve Canadians well,” he said.

“We are here as elected officials, men, women, and people ask us to represent them to the best of our abilities. Yes, we must fight and defend our points of view with firmness and dignity. We must not try to take away the dignity of others. This is a bit of what we see today. I find this unfortunate. »

Incidentally, Justin Trudeau’s political lieutenant invites Pierre Poilievre to pull himself together.

“I’m reaching out to him, in a way, to say, ‘You didn’t come here to do this. Maybe you see this as a way to win. But you didn’t come here for that.” Canadians did not elect MPs to do this. Our job is to improve the fate of our fellow citizens, our families, our elders, our children. »