Politics Buffs brings you a special program filmed at the Radio Canada studios in Montreal.
On this occasion, moderator Sébastien Bovet and Mordus Michelle Courchesne, Jean-François Lisée, Françoise Boivin and Dimitri Soudas answer questions from the audience. Here are excerpts from their discussions on some of the topics discussed.
Housing
Rose-Marie Leclerc from Montreal : Dimitri Soudas, how could the federal government help solve the housing crisis while respecting the autonomy of the provinces?
Dimitri Soudas : The federal government has very few levers at its disposal to solve the housing crisis. It’s not always just about the money. I place the burden and greatest responsibility on the shoulders of the municipalities. We are no longer just talking about a lack of affordable housing and social housing, but about a lack of housing overall. It is not normal that homelessness has doubled or even tripled in regions like Saint-Jérôme.
I have children and am wondering if they can buy a house. My first house was in Aylmer, Quebec and it cost me $250,000. Today it is no longer even possible to buy a garage for this price. Governments should therefore agree on solutions. But we as citizens also want social housing, affordable housing, but not on our doorstep. So two ways to solve this crisis are, firstly, to look in the mirror and secondly, to put pressure on municipalities.
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Dimitri Soudas (left) was communications director for former Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Françoise Boivin (right) was an Ottawa MP for six years, including four years under the NDP banner.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Ivanoh Demers
The jury’s choice
Claude Vezeau from Bromont : Françoise Boivin, there are a significant number of judicial vacancies in Canada. Should we fear that the image of the Canadian judiciary will change, as we have seen in the United States, if a Conservative government takes power?
Françoise Boivin : That’s interesting because last week I spoke to Suzanne Côté, who is a justice on the Supreme Court of Canada. Suzanne Côté was appointed by the Harper government. I myself was a member of the committee that appointed Judge Wagner, who became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada under the Harper government.
The difference between Canada and the United States is that they have lifetime judges. They will not be elected. Being elected, standing under a Republican or Democratic banner, changes the picture. Sometimes in Canada a judge is appointed by the government and we say to ourselves: he is right-wing, he is a friend of the conservatives. But once a judge is appointed, he is no longer anyone’s friend, he is the friend of justice.
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Michelle Courchesne was a member of the National Assembly of Quebec from 2003 to 2012. She was in turn deputy prime minister, president of the Treasury and minister in various portfolios within the Liberal government of Jean Charest.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Ivanoh Demers
immigration
Missila Izza from Montreal : Michelle Courchesne, considering that immigrant recruitment in Canada is primarily aimed at graduates and highly qualified individuals, why does it seem so complex to advance the issue of recognition of diplomas, particularly for healthcare workers?
Michelle Courchesne : I assure you, there is progress. In the last five years there have been around 4,000 applications for the recognition of diplomas, around 80 to 85 percent of which were accepted. Each professional code has protocols in place to ensure public safety. It is also understood that doctors or nurses must complete internships in the various hospitals and facilities where they will work.
All this is difficult but necessary, because in different countries, in different universities, the disease always remains the same, but the training, the steps to follow are not necessarily completely the same and the vocabulary is often not the same. That sounds simple, but it isn’t. However, let us recognize that the professional codes have finally taken the bull by the horns to change things.
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Jean-François Lisée was an advisor to Prime Ministers Jacques Parizeau and Lucien Bouchard in the 1990s. He then became a Member of Parliament for the Parti Québécois in 2012 and led the political party from 2016 to 2018.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Ivanoh Demers
Climate change
Therese Nadeau from Montreal : Jean-François Lisée, why not govern differently given all the climatic and social upheavals?
Jean-François Lisee : In fact, there are a number of things that should change in the face of climate change. For example, we should stop increasing fossil fuel production in Canada. Current production should be maintained and a plan should be made to reduce it if demand falls. It’s hard to understand why we don’t already do this. To reduce the number of cars, we could also tax large vehicles and make small electric cars cheaper.
In Quebec it is difficult to travel by bus between certain cities. However, it would be possible to develop an electric bus network in the province that would provide this service at a low cost. So many things could be done immediately.
The price of telecommunications
Wadi Salem, from Montreal : Dimitri Soudas, Telecommunications is very expensive in Canada, especially for certain physically disabled people who have to spend more than 50% of their income on it. In your opinion, is there a short or medium term horizon where the government can reduce telecom prices?
Dimitri Soudas : It is true that it costs us dearly. Canadians pay the highest telecommunications prices in the world for poor service. The competition laws here in Canada are outdated. For what? Because once upon a time we made sure to protect our big players from the biggest international players. Today, the CRTC’s decisions continue to protect companies like Bell, Telus and Rogers.
However, there is no competition in the telecommunications sector in Canada. We have to get new players. So changing laws is one thing, but we also need to question the relevance of the CRTC. In my opinion it is an archaic and outdated organization.
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The public was invited to submit their questions to the Politics Buffs team.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Ivanoh Demers
The by-election in Jean-Talon
Camille Thibeault from Montreal : Jean-François Lisée, regarding the by-election of Jean-Talon in the riding, we know that the race will be between the Coalition Avenir Québec and the Parti Québécois. What do you think will be the key issue in this election?
Jean-François Lisee : I think what is crucial is the level of voters’ dissatisfaction with the CAQ, since it is this party that defeated Jean-Talon in the last election. It’s about questioning the CAQ’s ability to keep its word. They promised the third link and didn’t keep it. Did they lie? Can we trust them? The Parti Québécois launched a campaign in the last ten days of the election campaign on ten promises broken by the CAQ and for which it proposed solutions. So according to PQ that’s the problem.
Communication between journalists and politicians
Olivier Demers from Saint Lambert : Sébastien Bovet, is it difficult to get answers from politicians given the multitude of advisers and press officers around you?
Watch the host’s response Sebastien Bovet :
Sébastien Bovet answers Olivier Demers from Saint-Lambert.
The special live broadcast from Politics fans will be broadcast on ICI RDI Friday, 29 September, from 12 H 30.
The questions and answers have been edited for accuracy and clarity.