Pontiac’s Liberal MNA André Fortin was joined by Quebec Liberal Party leadership hopeful Charles Milliard for a game at the Shawville Curling Club’s 21st annual Liberal bonspiel on Saturday.

Twenty teams took part in the event, organized by club member Rick Younge as a fundraiser for the party.

He said the turnout has been relatively consistent since Fortin became the representative for the Pontiac.

“André is very good to the community and he’s very good to the club,” Younge said. “Anytime we need help, if he can, he’ll help.”

Fortin said he sees the bonspiel as a chance to hear from the community about the issues that are most affecting them, but in a different type of setting that also benefits community institutions like the curling club.

“This weekend, I’m hearing a lot about the healthcare cuts,” Fortin said. “That seems to be very worrisome for the community and there’s a lot of anger expressed.”

Fortin said curling is something that runs in his family, and that several members of his family, including his father, joined him at Saturday’s tournament.

“I grew up in curling clubs, my dad’s been curling forever and ever,” Fortin said. “Curling is something you can do with your neighbours and your family, and it deepens your community ties.”

Milliard, who has Fortin’s endorsement in his bid to lead the Quebec Liberal Party, stopped by the rink for a game as part of his second tour of the Pontiac region since he entered the race.

He said his community in North Hatley in the Eastern Townships is a lot like the Pontiac because of its English-speaking roots.

“I think it’s telling that people want to come together at events of this kind,” Milliard said. “We need to get back to that in Quebec as a whole because we’ve been divided for years.”

The bonspiel’s winning team was made up of Jeff Russell (skip), Vaughan Bastien (lead), Rick Younge (second) and Wade Ellison (third).