Nelligan: Voter base from all walks of life

BY ANDY BLATCHFORD

andy.blatchford@transcontinental.ca

Eclectic as its voters, the riding of Nelligan cuts a wide swath across diverse cultural and economic borders of the West Island.

The riding features a mix of neighbourhoods, from rolling multimillion dollar estates, to middle class, to low-cost housing.

Nelligan encompasses Senneville, Ile Bizard, Ste. Geneviève, and parts of Pierrefonds and Kirkland.

Thirty-five per cent of its population are anglophones, 42 per cent francophones and 23 per cent allophones.

A Liberal stronghold since it formed in 1980; Nelligan was home to three successive victories by the party when it earned more than 76 per cent of the vote from 1994 to 2003.

But the gap narrowed in a 2004 byelection to replace outgoing Liberal MNA Russell Williams.

Liberal Premier Jean Charest held a referendum on a question to undo the 2002 forced municipal mergers.

But many locals accused Charest of breaking his promise to return their cities as they were.

In the byelection, Liberal newcomer Yolande James earned 53 per cent support, defeating independent candidate and Kirkland councillor Michel Gibson, who received 27 per cent.

The de-mergers have passed, but resentment towards the Liberals remains in the form of Montreal’s agglomeration council — the island body in charge of regional services.



In January, Senneville Mayor George McLeish and Gibson publicly endorsed the Action démocratique du Québec, a party that promises to abolish agglomeration. Since agglomeration was created last year, other municipal politicians in Nelligan have openly criticized the Liberals on this issue.

For James, Nelligan’s incumbent candidate, the agglomeration is a work in progress.

“I think it’s important to remember that the agglomeration is still a very new structure and we need to address the question of the government’s responsibility,” she said Monday in a phone interview. “(West Island Liberals) have fought hard for the interests of all the citizens in the area and we’re going to continue to do that with a new structure.”

Since being elected, James said she is proud of her local accomplishments. She noted a recent $6-million upgrade announcement for the Centre Denis-Benjamin Viger long-term care facility and the creation of a CEGEP-level pharmaceutical program at Collège Gérald Godin, a $5.7-million investment.

Health, education and day care remain priorities in the region, she said.

Meanwhile, as ADQ Leader Mario Dumont surges in the polls, the election is turning into a three-way race — a familiar scenario for his seasoned Nelligan candidate.

“There are not many candidates that have done what I’ve done, that’s why the ADQ chose me,” said former Ile Bizard councillor Jean Lecavalier, who beat three contestants to win a city hall seat in 1995. “I’ve given a lot to the people of Ile Bizard and I’d like to do the same for the riding of Nelligan.”

The 52-year-old uncle of Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Vincent Lecavalier will focus on health, seniors and financial support for stay-at-home parents. He fought for Ile Bizard’s reconstitution, but with a 33-per-cent turnout the town fell short of the 35 per cent minimum — set by Charest’s government — to successfully de-merge. Lecavalier would like to abolish agglomeration so “local mayors can administer their cities the best way they can.”

Elsewhere, Parti Québécois hopeful Dorothée Morin aims to present campaign issues to Nelligan constituents in plain language. Morin expects to connect with the population in a riding that has a diverse mix of cultural backgrounds.

“Quebec’s prosperity rests on bringing cultures together and sharing our differences,” the former teacher said. “(The PQ) will make Quebec stronger and more united. I will speak to people in sports centres, shopping centres, anywhere I can go to meet with them and talk to them. I will use plain language.”

Morin has been associated with the party in various roles for 30 years, including spots on the Robert Baldwin and Nelligan riding associations.

Green Party of Quebec candidate Jonathan Théorêt has lobbied to improve public transit and recycling in the area. The 23-year-old Pierrefonds resident said the local commuter-train service needs more frequency, larger parking lots at stations and buses that head directly to the métro — outside of rush hour.

Théorêt said the right structure is in place, but to increase local recycling more public awareness is needed. “There’s a lot of people who don’t understand which (items) are recyclable and which are not,” said Théorêt, who has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and is currently working towards a diploma in classical jazz.

Nelligan’s Québec solidaire candidate Elahe Machouf could not be reached by press time.

Quebecers go to the polls on March 26.