Mr. Charest’s time in Quebec politics has left its mark on the landscape of La Belle Province, in particular with the establishment of the Generations Fund, the deployment of the Plan Nord, the creation of the Council of the Federation and the instigation of negotiations of the free trade agreement between Canada and the European Union. Beyond her achievements, one of the elements that will have had the greatest impact on the labor market and on the quality of life of Quebecers is her commitment to women in Quebec.
Posted yesterday at 11:00 a.m.
This is far from having been theoretical, but very concrete and decisive. It was the government led by Jean Charest that introduced the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP) in 2006, considered to be one of the most generous in the world, and restored the family allowances that the Parti Quebecois had abolished. . Thanks to these improvements, women no longer had to choose between their family life and their professional career.
Moreover, upon his re-election in 2007, Jean Charest set up a joint cabinet, a first in North America.
The women of the Charest government have held leading positions such as Minister of Finance, President of the Treasury Board, Minister of Justice, Minister of Education, Minister of Culture, Minister of Labour, etc
Mr. Charest’s firm desire to include women’s leadership in the highest decision-making spheres permeated through his government until the adoption of the An Act requiring parity on the boards of directors of government corporations.
Now, the vast majority of boards include experienced, competent and ambitious women who, in turn, can inspire other women to get involved to make things happen.
During this leadership race, it was natural for Mr. Charest to include a number of experienced women in his inner circle. He did not hesitate to strongly denounce the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States to invalidate the judgment Roe v. wade which guaranteed women the right to abort.
He has always been openly pro-choice and has repeatedly said that a Conservative government under his leadership would never restrict women’s fundamental right to choose.
He also mentioned very early in the race that he would honor the agreements signed with the provinces on child care, which guarantees an additional sum of $6 billion for Quebec. His past positions do not lie and his credibility on these issues is flawless.
However, we cannot say the same for its rival, which cultivates ambiguity on these issues. We cannot trust a person who is reluctant to defend women’s rights, who dithers about his position on the right to abortion, who would tear up the agreements already signed with the provinces regarding child care and who remains silent while American women are losing basic rights.
Recent events show that the achievements of women remain very fragile and that we must constantly remain on the lookout, ready to defend them at all times.
In Quebec, everything is in place to allow women to choose for themselves. Conservative members will also have to make a choice. In the race for the leadership of the Conservative Party, they will have to choose between a candidate who has demonstrated through concrete actions that he recognizes the value of women and their invaluable contribution to society or one who dithers, hides and whose positions are ambiguous.
As far as we are concerned, the only candidate who can work to defend our interests and whom we can trust is Jean Charest.
* Dominique Vien, federal Conservative MP for Bellechasse–Les Etchemins–Lévis, ex-minister, campaign co-chair in Quebec for the campaign of Mr. Charest, Christine St-Pierre, ex-minister of Culture, Communications and Condition (2008-2012), Lise Thériault, former Minister of Immigration (2005-2007), former Minister for Social Services (2008-2010), former Minister of Labor (2010-2012), Kathleen Weil, former Minister of Justice (2008-2010) and former Minister of Immigration (2010-2012), Rima El-Helou, Conservative candidate in Vimy (2019 and 2021), Louise Gravel, Conservative candidate in Jonquière (2021) , Mariève Barcelo-Després, youth co-president of Jean Charest’s campaign and lawyer, Marie Claude Fournier, Conservative candidate in Thérèse-De Blainville (2019), Barbara Pisani, Conservative activist, Suzanne Courville, Conservative activist, Isabelle Lapointe, candidate curator in La Prairie (2019), Johanne Sénécal, activist c Conservative, Andrea Paine, Conservative candidate in Pierrefonds–Dollard (2004) and Lac-Saint-Louis (2006-2008) and Frances deVerteuil, Conservative activist.