CALEB NICKERSON
PONTIAC Aug. 29, 2018
With voters across the province heading to the polls in just over a month, left-wing party Quebec Solidaire (QS) has announced their candidate for the Pontiac riding.
Julia Wilkie is currently studying cinema at CEGEP in Aylmer, where she has lived her entire life.
“It doesn’t have much to do with politics, but in CEGEP we have philosophy class which, well, it teaches us a lot of things, and I think that feeds into politics,” she said. “We had a class that was telling us about different philosophers and their views on what determines who we are and I think caring about that made me want to go into politics.”
Though this is her first time running for office, Wilkie got a taste of political involvement while she was still in high school.
“In high school, I was part of a committee that wanted to understand why women don’t participate in municipal politics,” she explained.
When asked why she had chosen to throw her lot in with QS, Wilkie said that their humanitarian policies are something she feels strongly about.
“I just found it absolutely awesome that their priorities are for the people instead of the economy and the one per cent that runs the economy,” she said.
QS currently sits at three seats in the National Assembly, with roughly 7.5 per cent of the vote in the 2014 election. They merged with the smaller, sovereigntist party Option nationale back in December of 2017, and the party advocates separating from the rest of Canada.
When asked if she thought this was something that was popular among voters, Wilkie admitted border communities like the Pontiac might not be enthusiastic about the initiative.
“I didn’t do my research on the subject, but from what I’ve gathered it’s something that … it depends on the region of Quebec. There are certain regions that feel much more strongly about it,” she said. “In the Gatineau region, what we call the Outaouais, it’s something that people feel less strongly about because, especially in Aylmer, they have jobs in the federal government and there would be a border that … they would have to cross to get to their jobs. This is something that makes people in Gatineau a little less enthusiastic about the project.”
“I’m not an expert on borders and countries and everything but I think there could possibly be an arrangement with Canada for people to cross the border easily,” she continued. “Obviously it depends on the circumstances of separation, if the separation happens.”
In addition, Wilkie said that QS is in favour of free education, from daycare to post-secondary, as well as increased access to dental insurance.
She said that she would work to familiarize herself with the issues affecting rural portions of the riding.
“Obviously, I work in Aylmer, I live in Aylmer, so I know the issues in Aylmer,” she said. “I’ll meet people and ask them what causes them trouble, what issues they’re having … That’s going to help me understand the Pontiac situation. I’ll also have people to back me up and tell me about the issues.”
Wilkie added that QS would be releasing further financial details about their policies in the coming weeks.
