Former Green Party candidate for the Pontiac–Kitigan Zibi riding Claude Bertrand wil once again represent the party in the upcoming federal election.
After running in 2019, the La Pêche resident took a break for personal reasons in the 2021 election but is back to run again for the Greens in this round.
Bertrand, who’s worked as an engineer for both public and private sectors and as a pilot for the Canadian Armed Forces, said his main motivation for running with the Green Party boils down to two things: his belief that protection of the environment should always be a top priority, and his commitment to electoral reform in favour of proportional representation, which the party supports.
”My overwhelming motivation is that every party appears to be momentarily environmentally conscious, but they forget about the environment when they are elected,” he said. “The Green Party is the only party that continues to advocate for the environment.”
Bertrand said while the party has a reputation of being a “single-issue party,” it has policy ideas for all kinds of issues facing regions like the Pontiac.
“The Green Party looks at every issue, like the living wage and redefining affordable housing,” he said. “The platform hasn’t been issued yet but the Green Party has a detailed approach on these issues.”
Bertrand also said that he hopes to address economic issues that are unique to the Pontiac, and not just Wakefield and Chelsea.
“For the Pontiac [riding], we’re primarily oriented towards those who need [economic support] most,” Bertrand said. “There’s not so much economic development needed in the southeastern corner, but it’s really for the core of the Pontiac.”
He also expressed concerns with potential environmental harms that could be caused by a planned nuclear waste disposal facility at Chalk River, and commended current Liberal MP Sophie Chatel for her work protecting the Gatineau Park but said he would go a step further.
“I would certainly [ . . . ] fight to have it designated as a national park,” Bertrand said. “It’s not just our park, it’s our nation’s park and there are so many people using it and we have to protect it.”
