Ouimet eager to make new parliament work for Laval residents

By Robert Frank, September 19th, 2012

Newly elected Fabre representative Gilles Ouimet is looking forward to championing Laval’s interests in Quebec City “as quickly as possible, in order to start developing and improving public services such as health, education and the environment.”
Ouimet told The Suburban in an interview that Laval Liberal party candidates decided to work as a team during the election campaign. It worked so well, he said, that the four elected Liberal members plan to continue to pool their efforts on the island city’s behalf.
“We will definitely remain on that track,” he vowed, “and we will also work with the two other [Parti québécois] members, Léo Bureau-Blouin, from Laval des Rapides and Suzanne Proulx, from Sainte Rose, for the benefit of all Laval residents.”
Ouimet underscored the importance of perpetuating longstanding efforts to increase the range of services provided at the Cite de la santé regional superhospital.
“We want to ensure that the people of Laval can get medical services in Laval. We’ve already introduced oncology and cardiovascular treatment centres here,” he emphasized, “and we need to keep building on that.”
Ouimet noted that new schools are also a priority, due to Laval’s burgeoning youth population.
“A new primary school in Fabreville is already in the works,” he observed, “and soon we’ll need to do the same thing in the Sainte Dorothée area.”
Ouimet said that he sees mass transit as an important means to safeguard the environment.
“We will be watching closely to see how Parti québécois will act on this front,” he promised. “The train linking Oka with St. Bruno is supposed to pass through Fabre. These issues are important to the citizens in my riding.”
“My colleagues feel the same way,” Ouimet continued. “It is our responsibility to make this parliament work in best interests of Quebec in general and Laval in particular.”
He said that after 25 years as a criminal lawyer -- and, until last year, batonnier of the Quebec bar association -- politics was new to him. He added that running for public office proved quite a moving experience, particularly the encouragement that he received from members of the Fabre Liberal riding association.
“Besides thanking all of them for their support, I want to salute the riding’s other candidates,” he concluded, “for having participated in a very interesting campaign that reinforced the democratic fabric of our society.”n