The tour of elected officials changes region. After meeting with the provincial and federal deputies for Vaudreuil-Soulanges, VIVA MÉDIA is targeting Beauharnois-Salaberry and Haut-Saint-Laurent. Who better to initiate this transition than MP Claude DeBellefeuille, who represents Beauharnois and its surroundings, but also a large part of Soulanges.
As with each elected official met, VIVA MÉDIA wanted to know what the deputy did for her population during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mrs. DeBellefeuille mentions that as soon as the pandemic was declared in Canada, she and her team went into help mode. The team started working 7 days a week and more than 12 hours a day to answer many questions from citizens.
“My team didn’t count the hours, says the MP. We all have the same objective and that is to help the population find its way with all the government programs.”
She also adds that a federal MP can do a lot of things for their community. With immigration and customs under federal jurisdiction, she was able to help with the return of many Canadian citizens abroad at the start of the pandemic.
“I remember a woman and her daughter in the Philippines who could not contact the Canadian embassy or any other authority in the country, she explains. One of my political attaché managed to get in touch with the two women. My team succeeded after days of hard work in bringing them back to the country.”
The Vaudreuil-Soulanges region is also organizing meetings to coordinate their actions in the field with regard to Covid-19. Mrs. DeBellefeuille mentions that her experience as a manager at the Integrated Health and Social Services Center of Montérégie-Ouest (CISSSMO) and in the community environment is beneficial during meetings. She says she already knows the realities of vulnerable people in the region due to her former job. This experience at the discussion table is therefore essential for a common strategy, according to her.
Achievements
Claude DeBellefeuille has only been a Member of Parliament for 1 year, but she says she is proud of what she has accomplished in such a short time.
She is proud of the creation of a roundtable on the St. Lawrence Seaway involving many key players. Indeed, the corporation that manages the seaway had no or few links with the municipalities and other stakeholders on the shores. The member for Salaberry-Suroît is happy with the results that the roundtable was able to deliver in just one year.
“A good example of a concrete result is the sharing of the contact details of the fire services and first responders of the riverside municipalities with the seaway corporation, explains Mrs. DeBellefeuille. In the event of a serious accident on the water, no one could contact the emergency services of nearby municipalities. This has been fixed and I am proud of the result.”
As the Whip of the Bloc Québécois, she actively participated in the development of the new version of the Canadian Parliament. She explains that the transition to a hybrid mode, part of the deputation face-to-face and the other by video conference, has been a big challenge. She believes that the combined efforts of all Members of the House led to this achievement.
Returning to politics
Asked about the process surrounding her return to politics, Mrs. DeBellefeuille wished to go back in time a little to explain her decision.
She says that in 2006 when she got into politics, the MP there made up for her deep convictions of sovereignty.
“It is clear to me that Quebec must become a country, exclaims the MP. In the meantime, the Belle-Province must be well represented and there must be guarantees of protection
of our assets such as the French language.”
After being defeated in 2011 by the NDP’s Orange Wave, Mrs. DeBellefeuille continued to campaign for the Bloc and kept the association alive in the riding. In 2015, she represented herself for the last time and did so again for her sovereignty convictions and her desire to help the population.
She explains that her decision to return in 2019 despite her desire to retire from politics is the arrival of Yves-François Blanchet.
“He really galvanized our troops and gave me the strength to represent myself, she says. He is a real example to me, because he gave up everything to jump head-first in this adventure. We have to look at the context of the time, the presence of a strong Bloc Québécois in Parliament was not achieved at the start of the campaign.”
The member for Salaberry-Suroît therefore campaigned without pressure and it was fun throughout it, she said. She believes it was her leader’s charisma and the positive campaign she led that gave her victory in 2019.
