Hot struggles on the outskirts of the metropolis

” Hello, how are you ? Denis Trudel, Member of Parliament for Longueuil – Saint-Hubert ”, launches the Bloc Quebecois to a woman in her thirties. She walks with her son sitting in a stroller on Saint-Charles Street in Longueuil. It is Saturday afternoon and the sun is shining. “Yes, we recognized you,” she replies with a big smile.

The 58-year-old actor and politician asks her about her concerns. “There is the environment,” she says. Then, of course, even more Quebec, with what happened… ”She refers to the controversial question of Shachi Kurl, moderator of the leaders’ debate in English last Thursday, which provoked a strong reaction. “A moderator is not supposed to have premises like that in her questions, it is unwelcome and biased. It bothered me a lot, ”she says.

The Bloc member will have his vote. A few tens of meters further on, another voter spontaneously broaches the subject. “Your boss did that well. It revived the Quebec fiber, says the woman, in her early sixties, accompanied by her daughter. We are still thinking [au parti] who we’re going to vote for, but it’s leaning towards that. “

The subject taints the advance polls, says Denis Trudel to the To have to. “The world feels insulted. I interact with several hundred people a day and yesterday I really felt a game changer He says.

Bloc members with whom The duty spoke, said they were all getting talked about on the pitch, and their party was hit hard in the days following the debate. This comes when, on the island of Montreal, things seem frozen, apart from a fight between the Liberals and the Bloc in Hochelaga. But close races between the two political formations are attracting attention around the island. According to the 338Canada site, Longueuil – Saint-Hubert, Longueuil – Charles-LeMoyne, Montarville, Châteauguay – Lacolle and Shefford are notably at stake.

Here in Longueuil – Saint-Hubert, Denis Trudel, who was elected in 2019 with just over 2,500 votes in advance, faces organized liberal opposition. Florence Gagnon, 32 years old and consultant in strategic development, intends to tip the scales on her side.

In the early evening on Saturday, she was walking in the streets of an affluent district of Longueuil to knock on the doors of supporters and encourage them to vote in advance. For some, it has already been done. Volunteers are doing the same thing elsewhere in the riding.

“There are a lot of us, more than fifty of us working diligently in the team. And there are always volunteers who come to lend a hand, specifies the candidate for To have to. I have been working in the field for over a year, forming a team and meeting local citizens and organizations. “

She is crumpled when we report to her the words of her Bloc opponent, who says he “does not see her.[t] no one has ever seen her ”, while honking at her“ in front of Walmart ”. “I could not be more present in the constituency and have better preparation on the ground”, replies the candidate. She shoots an arrow at the deputy. “Denis Trudel takes ownership of all of our government’s achievements in aerospace and affordable housing,” she said.

In a quiet street, a young mother opens her door. “Hello, can we count on your support? Florence Gagnon asks, mask on her face and a smile in her voice. The woman hesitates, replies that she is still thinking. “I don’t like Trudeau,” her husband launches away. This does not dismantle the candidate, who unboxes her ideas. “I’m a local girl, familiar with local issues,” she says, before talking about the environment and child care spaces. “If you want to support more young women in politics, that’s important,” she says. The argument seems to hit the mark.

Hard battles

A sign that the region is arousing interest, Justin trudeau was in an offensive position in Bloc territory at the end of last week. The Liberal leader was in La Prairie on Sunday and in Montarville the day before.

“That does not worry me too much”, indicates to the To have to Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc member for Montarville, suggesting that the Prime Minister did not stay there very long. The experienced politician had beaten Liberal MP Michel Picard in 2019. “I do not take things for granted, but we have the feeling that things are going well,” he said. He now faces a liberal candidate from the region, Marie-Ève ​​Pelchat, 24, a real estate broker.

Saturday afternoon, several hundred families gathered in a park in Sainte-Julie for Family Day. The liberal candidate approaches two men in their thirties who keep an eye on their children. “I saw you on television. You are young, you have ideas and energy, ”says one of them, happy to talk to him. “Your opponent is well installed, we see him all the time,” remarks his friend.

They are interested in politics, but it is not yet clear who they will vote for. “What makes me hesitate is the timing », Confides one of them to the To have to. ” It’s back to school. I don’t have the head for that, it’s hard to follow. I wanted to listen to a debate, but I had a meeting of parents at the same time, ”he says.

For his part, the head of Bloc Quebecois, Yves-Francois Blanchet, visited Shefford on Saturday, a Bloc riding that straddles Estrie and Montérégie. Former Liberal MP Pierre Breton was beaten there by nearly 900 votes by Bloc Québécois Andréanne Larouche. He introduces himself again. On the roads, the signs of the two candidates are clearly visible.

“This is an election that people did not want and it has an impact,” said the 39-year-old Bloc, met on Sunday by The duty during the launch of a book by the Association Feminine d’Education et d’Action Sociale (AFEAS), in Granby. “The Liberals are working hard to get the riding back. We put energy into conserving it, ”she adds.

When she talks to people in her riding, the labor shortage is a recurring topic. “It’s major,” she said. We have a very large industrial park in Granby. There was talk of a shortage before the pandemic, but it got worse. “

In these three constituencies, the parties will fight hard for the days they have left. They will try to the end to convince voters who are not very mobilized, who are still struggling to understand why these elections were called.

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