Maurice-Richard | Who will win the seat of Marie Montpetit?

Throughout the campaign, The Press visits to constituencies where nothing is decided, to meet voters, candidates and the issues that matter to them. Today: Maurice-Richard.

Henri Ouellette-Vezina
The Press

“Something is happening in Maurice-Richard. This sentence is often heard in this riding north-east of Montreal, where MP Marie Montpetit, expelled from the Liberal caucus in November, will not stand again. A struggle with several seems to take shape this time, with the solidarity and the caquistes at the top. But the Liberals and the PQ do not admit defeat for all that.

“We lost by less than 1% last time. And we were already growing. This time, we can clearly see that the response is ultra-positive. We are really here to win, ”says Québec solidaire candidate Haroun Bouazzi, who is assistant vice-president of the Business Development Bank of Canada.

The withdrawal from political life of Marie Montpetit, excluded in November from the Liberal caucus in the wake of allegations of harassment, gives her hope of bringing in the “orange” for good this time.

In this riding, which is often a barometer, we have traditionally exchanged Liberal and PQ MPs over time. “You feel a sense of urgency to try new things,” recalls Mr. Bouazzi.

Facing him is the lawyer and former president of the Commission of Labor Market Partners Audrey Murray, who is running for the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ). She says she is touched by the “political naturalness” with which Maurice-Richard voters vote.

“I come with a background and a demonstration that I delivered the goods in my previous jobs. My riding, I think, wants to be on the government side, because we have important things to do. I am not ideological, I am able to listen, to have realistic solutions”, says M^me Murray.

“Fighting Cynicism”

Among the Liberals, it is the young Jonathan Marleau who will try to keep Marie Montpetit’s seat. Involved for 10 years in politics, especially with young liberals, the main interested party wants to “do everything to fight cynicism”.

On his site, Mr. Marleau will also give his personal number, so that each voter can reach him. “That’s a significant call flow,” he says, laughing. But at the same time, I want to be accessible. I want to show that politics doesn’t have to be done behind closed doors. When people feel like they belong, they’re more engaged,” he says.

With the PQ, former school commissioner Chantal Jorg is trying her luck this year. The one who was also president of the Coalition Montreal party in 2013 is not new to politics. “Maurice-Richard is a PQ bastion first and foremost. And I think deep down, he still is,” she said in an interview.

“Anything is possible for the Parti Québécois,” she adds. We feel that the place is empty, that there are many undecided people. We will be very present until the end. »

Finally, Éric Duhaime’s Conservative Party presents Louise Sexton, assistant director of the CRC Maison Essor, a halfway house for federally convicted men.

What future for Sophie-Barat?

An issue is on everyone’s lips this year: the renovation and expansion of the Sophie-Barat school, whose state of decrepitude is no longer in doubt. Part of the main building was even condemned in 2020 due to risk of collapse, which forced many students to take their lessons in another building. “There has been a terrible neglect for more than a decade, believes Mr. Bouazzi, a united candidate. Governments let this gem rot. We are going to ensure the accountability of the people who will be responsible for correcting the situation. »

“My number one priority will be to renovate it. And while we’re renovating it, to offer significant mitigation measures on the sidelines of the major construction site. I also want to carry out an evaluation quickly to open a second secondary school, ”explains Audrey Murray.

The PQ themselves are counting on a former school commissioner in the person of Chantal Jorg. “Schools in the neighborhood, I helped to expand several. In fact, we were left with Sophie-Barat, except that the school boards were abolished before. We had almost all the money. What we experienced was political violence, ”she denounces. She promises, if she is elected, to use all the “levers” at her disposal to “relaunch the project” quickly.

“It’s deplorable that we have only one public secondary school in the neighborhood. Right now, there are parents who have to choose between public and private, just because there is a question of space. It’s not normal,” says Mr. Marleau.