Posted at 5:00 am
(Ottawa) Alain Rayes says he strayed from the benches of power like never before when he quit the Conservative Party in September. But he adds that he has never felt so close to the people since he has been an independent MP.
Three months after making one of the most difficult decisions of his political career, the Richmond-Arthabaska member says he has regained his composure.
In three months he learned to do politics differently. He had little choice. He no longer had the powerful machinery that is usually a political party. He also learned to see politics from a different perspective: cooperation tastes much better.
Mr Rayes backed former Quebec Prime Minister Jean Charest in the race for the leadership of the Conservative Party, which Carleton member Pierre Poilievre won in the first round after a bitter campaign of nearly six months.
PHOTO SEAN KILPATRICK, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Alain Rayes, Independent MP, in the Ottawa House of Commons
wise decision
Two days after Mr Poilievre’s victory, Mr Rayes left the ranks of the Conservative Party and said he was no longer in that formation led by a leader who he believes should support the fight against change, climate change and Canada’s institutions by attacking the Bank of Canada and violating law and order by supporting the convoy of truckers that paralyzed downtown Ottawa for three weeks in February.
“I’m happy,” the non-party MP said a few days before the end of the session in an interview with La Presse at the Moulin de Provence café, just a stone’s throw from Parliament.
“I recharge my batteries. I was concerned about continuing to play a role that would be interesting and allow me to make some impact. God knows today that I’ve never been so far from power,” he says with a smile.
When I got into politics, I had a goal. It should be useful and able to influence the course of things. I’ve been testing this since I started my own business. The answer to both of these questions is still yes.
Alain Rayes, Independent Deputy
The answer came quickly. On October 17, Mr Rayes used Question Time in the House of Commons to ask Health Secretary Jean-Yves Duclos about the case of a young woman from his horse farm, Emmy Pruneau, aged 19 with terminal cancer.
PHOTO FREDERIC CÔTÉ, LA TRIBUNE ARCHIVE
Emmy Prune
To slow the progression of the disease, she needed a drug, tazemetostat. The problem was that even though it was approved by Health Canada in 2020 and is available in the United States and Europe, it was impossible for doctors in Canada to get hold of.
Mr Rayes urged Minister Duclos to remove the administrative obstacles as soon as possible to give Emmy hope. “Doctors have already had to amputate his arm, and if no action is taken quickly, his life expectancy will be calculated in weeks,” said the non-party MP in particular in his question.
Clearly touched by the Emmy case, Minister Jean-Yves Duclos invited Mr Rayes to a meeting and also pledged to ensure his department takes the necessary action. The case was settled four days later. Emmy was able to source the drug in question after Health Canada approved it under the Special Access Program.
PHOTO JEAN ROY, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Emmy Pruneau and her father Eric Pruneau
A few days later Mr Rayes rose in the House of Commons to thank the Minister. “Anything is possible if we work together, and politics can be beautiful, effective and humane,” he said. Thanks to all of you, the life of Emmy and her family, and with it the life of everyone else who may be going through the same situation in the future, has taken a different direction, that of hope. . »
In an interview, Mr Rayes wonders if he could have asked this question had he still been a Conservative MP and if he had had the same support from the Minister.
“With all the distrust and animosity that exists between the government and the Conservative Party, I have my doubts. But just this case gave a young woman more hope. And doctors have written to me that four other Canadians have had access to this drug in the last few weeks. It is the first stone of something that will change people’s lives. »
on a mission
This case is one among others that Mr. Rayes was able to advance as an independent MP in the fall.
Today, Mr Rayes is pleased with the support he has received from his constituents after leaving the Conservative Party. And he salutes the Liberal ministers and MPs, the New Democratic Party, the Bloc Québécois and the Green Party, who have offered to help him if needed.
“It’s very satisfying to see that. And my fellow citizens tell me that they are happy. And that brings me back to the basics of why we get into politics. Basically, it should serve our fellow citizens. »
As for his political future, Mr Rayes says he intends to complete his term as an independent MP. And he will then decide whether to seek another mandate and possibly run as an independent candidate or carry the banner of another party.