'We're all Quebecers!' says St. Henri's Marguerite Blais

By P.A. Sévigny, October 31st, 2012

As one of Jean Charest's most popular ministers, St. Henri's Marguerite Blais is convinced the PLQ (Parti Libéral du Québec) has a date with destiny.
Even if it's been almost two months since she won the last election (with an increased majority), Blais said it's still going to take a bit of time to get used to being in the opposition as opposed to when she used to face down Pauline Marois and the rest of the PQ (Parti Québecois) while sharing a desk with the rest of the Premier Jean Charest's ministers who used to sit in the front row of Quebec City's National Assembly.
“It's going to be quite the education,” said Blais,”…but I believe we're going to be a good opposition…. and if the last few weeks are any indication of what Marois (Premier Pauline Marois) plans to do during the next session, we're going to have our work cut out for us.”
While standing amid a number of newly opened boxes in her riding's St. Jacques Street office, Blais said that she is also looking forward to the party's new leadership convention because she believes it will be a good opportunity to “clear the air” and to prepare the party for new challenges which will arise out of the new century. Based upon her own experience as Quebec's Minister in charge of the province's senior citizens portfolio, she said a successful minister is the one who knows how to work with his (or her) colleagues in the caucus and around the cabinet table if they ever want to achieve any kind of significant objectives during their time in politics. While she had a lot to say about all of the various  programs that were developed during her time in the Premier's cabinet, she was visibly annoyed to see how the Marois administration folded her department into what is now the province's massive Health and Social Services sector.
“Does the minister (Dr. Réjean Hébert) believe that Quebec's senior citizens are just another client for the province's health services?” asked the former minister. “What's going to happen to all of the new programs we developed for all of the people who desperately need them?”
While she is determined to be an efficient member of the government's loyal opposition, Blais also mentioned that the QLP's new leadership convention is bound to take up a lot of her time over the next four months. While she would have preferred a 'one person, one vote' election in which every member has a say as to who will be its next leader, she also believes that the party cannot afford the time required to re-consider its own constitution.
“People should understand that it's been 30 years since the party has actually held a contested leadership convention,” she said. “We simply don't have the time to begin that kind of a debate.”
When asked about her own intentions as to who she would support to be the party's new leader, she did mention that although she knew (and respected) all three of the party's leading candidates, she would be supporting Raymond Bachand, Outremont's veteran MNA, in his bid to become the party's new leader.
“I have a lot of respect for all three candidates,” she said, “…but I believe Raymond is the man who can lead Quebec to the destiny it deserves.”
While politics had a lot to do with the conversation, Blais said that Bachand is an old friend whom she has known for almost three decades after which she also mentioned a number of occasions in which his contribution of time, knowledge and experience always made the critical difference between the success or failure of any given project.
“Raymond is a businessman with the kind of talent Quebec will need over the next few years,” she said. “We need a leader who can count,” said Blais, “…and we need a leader who can call for the 'social cease-fire' we need in order to put an end to all the useless quarrels which hurt Quebec and ruin our chances to actually do something to improve both the economy and the social environment in this province.”
When asked about what she meant when she talked about a 'social cease-fire', her answer contained all the passion of a politician who is ready to fight for what she truly believes in. Aside from her own belief in community, culture and personal autonomy, Blais cited her own disdain for the Marois government's politics of confrontation when compared to the politics of cooperation and conciliation that people require to get things done in Québec.
“We're all Quebecers,” she said. “…and that's the Quebec we believe in.”n