SOPFEU : Region wants answers by May 4

SOPFEU : Region wants
answers by May 4

( Thursday, April 29 ) The mayor of Gatineau, Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin, and the prefects of the Outaouais and Antoine-Labelle regions joined today the prefect of the Vallée-de-la-Gatineau, Chantal Lamarche, during a zoom meeting to review actions taken since the mobilization of April 1st and to remind SOPFEU of the region's demands to ensure the future of the Maniwaki base.

As the Conservative candidate in the Pontiac riding and the party's spokesperson for the Outaouais region, I fully support the efforts of warden Chantal Lamarche, who is doing an impressive job, and the emergency committee to allow the region to keep its gains.

Greenhouse gases: Liberal's promise lacks credibility

Greenhouse gases: Liberal's promise
lacks credibility

Only serious governments deliver serious results. And that is not the scenario we have now.

Setting targets is one thing. Meeting them is another. The Prime Minister of Canada today announced an ambitious target of reducing greenhouse gases by 40-45% from 2005 levels by 2030.

Unfortunately, experience has shown that the liberal targets have never been met.

• See the section about the Conservative plan "Secure the Environment" : click here >>

A timid budget on transportation in the Outaouais

A timid budget on transportation
in the Outaouais

GATINEAU (Monday, April 19, 2021) - "The federal budget tabled today is too timid on the issue of transportation in the Outaouais region," says Michel Gauthier, Conservative Party spokesperson in the Outaouais and candidate in Pontiac.

While the tramway project linking the West of Gatineau to Ottawa downtown is a clearly identified priority for both cities and the Quebec government, the federal government is content to say that the project office, announced in the budget, "will work on the study and planning of possible interprovincial tramway links between Ottawa and Gatineau.

The Outaouais and Pontiac need a new leadership

The Outaouais and Pontiac
need a new leadership

PONTIAC (Sunday, April 10, 2021) - PONTIAC (Sunday, April 10, 2021) - In the upcoming election campaign, which we hope will not take place until the COVID-19 pandemic is under control, the issue of political leadership in the Outaouais and Pontiac will be at the heart of the debate.

"This weekend's Liberal convention is a reminder that this government champions populist promises but rarely delivers on them, including those that matter in the Outaouais," said Michel Gauthier, the Conservative Party's Outaouais critic and candidate in the Pontiac riding.

A mobilization for the respect of the regions

A mobilization for
the respect of the regions

Numerous volunteers from the organizing committee joined the Sûreté du Québec and
Kitigan Zibi police officers to ensure the smooth running of the citizen mobilization.

I participated in the mobilization of the MRC de la Vallée-de-la-Gatineau in support against the project to transfer the decision-making center of SOPFEU from Maniwaki to Val d'Or in Abitibi. It is the role of every person involved in politics to support the citizens he represents... or wishes to represent. It is therefore with pride that I joined this mobilization.

Chalk River: social acceptability not yet achieved

Chalk River: social acceptability
not yet achieved

Source

GATINEAU (Wednesday, March 31, 2021) - The Chalk River nuclear waste disposal project must first pass the social acceptability stage before it can be approved and moved forward. This is not yet the case.

SOPFEU: Thursday we support the MRC

SOPFEU: Thursday we support the MRC

It is time to put an end to supposed reorganizations such as the one for SOPFEU.

No reorganization or relocation should be allowed in these two MRCs.

The attention of our governments, both provincial and federal, must instead be focused on consolidating services and creating new jobs.

Health: dialogue with pharmaceutical companies must be resumed and federal transfers reviewed

Health: dialogue with pharmaceutical companies must be resumed and federal transfers reviewed

Immunization is doing well. Let's put behind us the failures of the last few months, but let's learn from what we have experienced and take a serious look at the future.

SOPFEU : a supposed reorganization

SOPFEU : a supposed reorganization

I fully support the efforts of the MRC de la Vallée-de-la-Gatineau in its objective to put an end to the supposed reorganization process of SOPFEU, that is to say the transfer of the regional management from Maniwaki to Abitibi.

SOPFEU : we are right to be concerned

The elected officials of the Gatineau Valley are right to be concerned about the reorganization intentions of SOPFEU and the possible transfer of the decision-making center.

The past teaches us that all too often the reorganization of government services rhymes with job losses.

A $31,825 event dinner for the Fondation Santé Vallée-de-la-Gatineau

A $31,825 event dinner for the
Fondation Santé Vallée-de-la-Gatineau

From left to right : Michel Gauthier, administrator of the Foundation, Jean-Paul Gélinas, representative of the Caisse populaire de Haute-Gatineau, Dr. Mohamed Amahzoune, administrator of the Foundation, and Pauline Patry, president.

On Saturday, March 13, I had the opportunity to participate in the gastronomic dinner of the Fondation Santé Vallée-de-la-Gatineau, of which I have been a director for the past ten years.

During this dinner, at the Restaurant L'Huile d'Olive, in Bouchette, the Foundation announced that it had raised a total of $31,825, thanks to the many participants and the generosity of several donors.

Two-thirds of the revenue came from donors, including $10,000 from the Caisse Desjardins de Haute-Gatineau, $3,500 from Gatineau MNA Robert Bussières, $2,000 from Ma-Mi Construction, $2,600 from Pierre Riel, the owner of L'Huile d'Olive Restaurant, $1,500 from Resolu Forest Products and $1,250 from doctors, including Dr. Amazhoune.

This success will allow us to reserve funds for an important development project, the details of which will be announced soon.

Many volunteers in the Pontiac and the Outaouais support the efforts of our foundations in the health field.

Year after year, they enable the various health care institutions to acquire new equipment to improve the care provided in all corners of the region.

If you wish to make a donation to one of these foundations, here are the coordinates:

• Fondation de l'hôpîtal communautaire du Pontiac >>
• Fondation du CLSC du Pontiac  >>
• Fondation du centre d'accueil du Pontiac >>
• Fondation Santée Vallée-de-la-Gatineau >>
• Fondation Santé des Collines >>
• Fondation Santé Gatineau >>
• Fondation santé de Papineau >>
• Fondation Jellinek >>

Visit to Limbour: health, vaccine and workforce at the heart of discussions

Visit to Limbour: health, vaccine and
workforce at the heart of discussions

You don't even have to ask! Vaccination and pandemic control are also at the heart of the concerns of constituents in the Limbour district of Gatineau.Health remains the number one priority for them.

However, if you are a business owner or employer, the issue of workforce recruitment is a major concern. In Limbour as in all other areas of the Pontiac and Outaouais riding. This problem existed prior to the pandemic but has become more acute with the arrival of COVID-19. The Canada Emergency Respond Benefit (CERB) has been a necessary but also "overly effective" support, sometimes making the return to work less attractive than the benefit paid.

The District of Limbour is split between the federal ridings of Pontiac to the north and Gatineau to the south. LaVérendrye Boulevard is the dividing line between the two counties.

Vaccination and telework on the menu in the Plateau District

Vaccination and telework on the menu
in the Plateau District

Voters in Gatineau's Plateau district don't want to hear about an early election this spring. What matters to them is the CISSSO immunization schedule and the hope that the federal government will be able to obtain and distribute enough vaccine so that the entire population is immunized by the end of September. So that we can get back to our normal lives.

Many of the constituents in this corner of the Pontiac riding have also had to telework since the pandemic began. This was not a new practice, but it was the first time that it had been used in the region for such a long period of time. It could significantly change the approach to labour relations in the federal public service.

The municipal boundaries of this Gatineau electoral district will soon be changed. The district will be amputated of its western part which will form, with part of the neighbouring district of Deschênes, the new Mitigomijokan district. This name of Algonquin Anishinabeg origin means "the place of the oak".

Don't start rumors

"Don't start rumors"

No, I didn't get the call to join the Ottawa Senators coaching staff. I didn't put on my skates this weekend either. But I was in the Limbour sector of Gatineau and I couldn't resist making a detour to the Beaudry arena. Of course, it was closed, but why not take advantage of it anyway for a quick photo session.

At one time, many years ago, I often set foot in this arena. I was a coach for a competitive team from Maniwaki, the Braves. We were terrorizing the arenas in Aylmer, Hull, Gatineau and Buckingham... sorry !!!! :-)  Of course, there are many fond memories of those years.  For those who are curious, the stick and gloves are those of my son Jean-Christophe, who also became a hockey coach.

This involvement in the hockey world even led me to become president of the Outaouais Hockey Federation, at a time when the stakes were high. Like the return of a midget AAA hockey team, following a tripartite agreement between the City of Gatineau, the Polyvalente Nicolas-Gatineau and the regional Federation. During these years, I had the opportunity to work with dedicated volunteers such as Claude Allain, Robert Fournier, Dr. Gilles Morais, Fernand Dicaire, Claudette Tremblay, and many others.

In hockey as in politics and in other fields, volunteering and involvement have always been important civic foundations. In a few months, you will have the opportunity to elect a Member of Parliament for your riding. But behind this person, there are also tens and hundreds of people who share common values and who get involved in order to make a difference.

The voice that won't be silent

The voice that won't be silent

The Pontiac and the Outaouais region needs a strong voice and a strong leadership in the House of Commons.

Important issues do not always receive the necessary attention. All too often, the current MPs "shut up with one voice" or are at odds with our municipal elected officials.

It's time for a change.

Because the challenges are many, both in the large urban area of Gatineau and in the vast rural territory of the Pontiac and the Outaouais.

I propose to be "the voice that won't shut up", that won't duck when the issues are more difficult. This is the way I have always worked.

Bill C-21 about Firearms: Nothing other then an Electoral Improvisation

Bill C-21 about Firearms: Nothing other then an Electoral Improvisation

GATINEAU (Wednesday, February 17, 2021) - The federal firearms bill, introduced yesterday by the federal government, is going in the wrong direction by turning to the municipalities for the adoption of legislation or regulations to ban handguns, said Conservative Party spokesperson in the Outaouais and candidate in the Pontiac riding, Michel Gauthier.

The embarrassing 'pilgrimage' of the government in its quest for vaccines

The embarrassing "pilgrimage" of the government in its quest for vaccines

GATINEAU ( Sunday, February 14th, 2021 ) - « Nous devons tous être solidaires en cette période de pandémie historique et c’est très largement que tous respectent les mesures de distanciation et les autres contraintes sanitaires. Nous acceptons ces sacrifices, parce que c’est la santé et la sécurité de tous qui sont en jeu. Nous le faisons aussi par respect pour le personnel de la santé qui affronte quotidiennement et courageusement ce virus », a déclaré Michel Gauthier, porte-parole du Parti conservateur pour la région de l’Outaouais et candidat dans la circonscription de Pontiac.

Par contre, il est difficile de rester indifférent devant ce qu’il qualifie de « pèlerinage gênant » en parlant des plus récentes démarches du gouvernement Trudeau pour assurer un approvisionnement en vaccins suffisant pour l’ensemble du pays.