In my blog
last week I spoke to Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) NDG candidate Noah Sidel. The post sparked a lot of controversy,
with Sidel even getting into some verbal sparring on my Facebook page.
Today I
wish to introduce you to lawyer Valerie Assouline, running for the CAQ in the
ethnocultural riding of Laurier-Dorion,
held by Liberal Gerry Sklavounos.
She is a resident of
Dollard des Ormeaux and the mother of
four.
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| Valerie Assouline |
“For decades, the old parties alternated to form
the government of Quebec, and yet they really have nothing to show for - except
to have exacerbated the morose and cynical voter sentiment with ever-increasing
taxes and fees, and a long list of broken promises,” Assouline shared with me. “There is even a lingering scent of corruption
in the air. Not to mention that with the PQ in power, there is always a Sword
of Damocles above our heads about the future of Quebec within the Canadian
federation that polarizes the votes in the province.
“As we saw during the last 18
months, they never bring any concrete solutions to taxpayers and their real
concerns. And let’s not forget that our dire fiscal situation can also be
directly attributed to the long list of disputable Liberal decisions and expensive
promises that were added to our children’s ‘credit card’ for no tangible gains
- except maybe for some ‘friends’ of the party when they were in power! These
facts were so blatant that François Legault saw an opportunity to unite
concerned citizens under his Coalition a couple of years ago in order to break
that unproductive cycle. His focus is to bring forth real solutions for real
problems voiced by the population. He did his homework, and he is the only
political leader with integrity and a financially sound program that is
responsible, as well as having propositions with a vision for a brighter
future.”
Assouline is
the founder and president of SOS Lawyers, a firm specializing in civil and
commercial law and immigration
As a member of the Jewish community, she says
it was important for her to get involved in these elections. “I chose the CAQ
for its platform that is not only centered around the taxpayers needs and
ongoing issues with all sorts of fee hikes, but also because it proposes a
responsible plan to help families specifically,” she said. “As a Jew, and an immigrant that came with my
family to Canada from Morocco at an early age, it was also important to have a
strong voice at the National Assembly to represent our values and experiences
to better serve our population. In the past, the Jewish vote was almost
automatically a Liberal vote because no other appropriate option existed, and
the Liberals took that for granted! The CAQ is now here to give them a real,
reasonable and responsible vote.”
Even though she lives in Dollard,
Assouline says the riding of Laurier-Dorion was a perfect example of an
electorate that can benefit from the CAQ’s propositions by reducing the tax
burden and excessive fee hikes that penalize families. “My personal experience
as an immigrant, a mother, and an entrepreneur will be an asset when
representing this riding and providing them with appropriate solutions that
work,” she remarked confidently. “Such care for the people we represent should
be a priority for anyone looking to hold office in government. The CAQ’s stance
on integrity and its straight-shooting political values will be the choice for voters that want to regain the
lost trust in our political system governed by the old parties. You can steal
our ideas and program, but the people representing them are the ones that have
to be elected, and that vote should carry the message of what/who you stand
for, as well.
On the
Charter of Values, the CAQ says the PQ
ban on wearing religious symbols, such as Islamic veils, the kippa, religious
turbans and large crucifixes, is “too radical.” But the party sees nothing
wrong with a ban of religious symbols limited to public sector personnel in
positions of authority, namely judges, police and prison officers and teachers.
Assouline says that
the CAQ’s position is the only one that
both follows the recommendations of the Bouchard-Taylor Commission on
reasonable accommodation , and one that can be productive for a fairer society
looking to avoid any sense of discriminatory actions by people in positions of
power.
“As a lawyer, if my Jewish client is in court facing a Judge with an
Islamic veil, or vice-versa an Islamic client facing a Judge wearing a kippa,
and a negative decision towards my client is handed
down, there might be a part of me asking if the decision was really impartial,”
she says. “But any other law restricting
further the access to government-related jobs as proposed by the PQ, such as a
clerk at the local SAQ branch, a customer support rep at Hydro-Québec or a woman
working at your CPE Daycare looking to integrate the workforce and find some
financial autonomy, should be blocked because it would be so counter-productive
to its ‘supposed’ intent to bring more equality between men and women in our
society. Where does Marois’ push for secularisms end? Should schools serving kosher
meals lose their public funding? Should the wonderful director of my children’s
school be forced to choose between wearing his kippa or working in Quebec? I
think the answers are clear.”
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