Donald Teuma-Castelletti
QUYON March 10, 2018
The Liberal Party of Quebec announced their candidate for the Pontiac riding on Saturday, amongst a large crowd of support from the public and members of their party.
It was announced that Pontiac MNA and Minister of Transport, Sustainable Mobility and Transport Electrification André Fortin would continue to represent the provincial Liberal party in the riding at a press conference on Saturday morning, at Onslow Elementary School in Quyon.
“I didn’t expect a crowd like this, I knew I certainly had the support and backing of the people of the Pontiac, but I certainly didn’t expect you all to come to my hometown here in Quyon,” said Fortin, when he first took the podium.
Fortin was joined by a host of politicians, from both municipal and provincial levels, to throw their support behind him. MRC Pontiac Warden Jane Toller, Quebec’s Minister of Finance Carlos Leitão and Quebec Community Groups Network President and Western Quebec School Board Chair James Shea spoke highly of Fortin, throwing their support behind his candidacy.
“… I want [you] to know how honoured I am that André asked me to be part of this investiture … but also from the perspective to know that I remind him constantly … that he is my representative in Quebec City,” said Shea. “I don’t depend on people from Montreal or wherever to represent my community, I depend on André Fortin to represent my community.”
As well, videos from Pontiac MP Will Amos, Hull-Aylmer MP Greg Fergus and Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard.
He was universally praised for his success at the National Assembly in representing the English-speaking minority of Quebec, as well as his dedication to the provincial Liberal Party’s values.
Fortin highlighted one aspect of his first term in the Pontiac as his greatest success so far in office: the dialysis unit at the Shawville Hospital.
“Being able to see through the dialysis project is one of the things I’m going to be proud of as anything else I’ve accomplished,” said Fortin. “Because it’s such a drain on people who have to go back and forth to Hull, who have to go back and forth to Renfrew. For them to have the opportunity to get that service here, locally in the Pontiac, it actually does make a real difference in their lives.”
Still, the time in office didn’t come without it’s lessons. The biggest so far was dealing with the flooding in Pontiac last spring, as well as the aftermath.
“I think the situation around the flooding is something that we can be proud of … but I think certainly, government response to it, I think we could have been, and I could have been also, a more vocal advocate to get people help faster,” said Fortin. “We made some improvements, we listened to the community, we knew what they wanted in terms of how to structure their program … but I think when you’ve got such a situation you always feel like you want to do more.”
Fortin has high hopes if re-elected, starting with a continued focus on economic prosperity, improvements in safety to Hwy. 148 and access to proximity service to healthcare.
“I still have many ideas on how we can make the Pontiac better, on how we can make Aylmer better and how I can do so by giving you just about every ounce of energy I’ve got while representing you in Quebec City that I hope you can be proud of, by always putting forward the values that we share as Liberals,” said Fortin, at the end of his acceptance speech.
The nomination was officiated at the event, without competition. The provincial election is set for Oct. 1, 2018 and will be Quebec’s 42nd general election.
