Liberal candidate Tatiana Auguste in the riding of Terrebonne was surrounded by many activists on Saturday morning for the opening of her election office. She hopes to be re-elected, and for good, in the by-election on April 12.
Auguste was elected by a single vote over Bloc Québécois candidate Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné, who then turned to the courts to have the result invalidated because of the rejection of a Bloc mail-in vote, after an error by Elections Canada. The Supreme Court of Canada then annulled the result of the last federal election in Terrebonne, causing new elections to be held in the riding.
Faced with the implementation of new voting control measures by Elections Canada to prevent such a situation from happening again, Auguste says she wants to let Elections Canada do its job after having “learned from [its] mistakes.”
“My commitment to you, Terrebonneniens, is very clear, that Terrebonne be at the centre of the transformation of our country (…) and that Terrebonne be part of the solution and be at the decision-making table,” Auguste told the crowd of activists gathered in a small office in Terrebonne.
The Liberal candidate wanted to reassure Newfoundlanders worried about the route of the Quebec-Toronto high-speed train (HSR) project. She said at a press conference that a consultation will be absolutely necessary on the project so that the public’s fears are heard.
“Of course, it’s less of a subject that I hear about door-to-door, but as I told the citizens who were talking to me about it, it’s clear that there must be an open consultation from Alto to Terrebonne to be able to talk to citizens, to be able to show them the route, and then really take their pulse,” Auguste replied.
Among the priorities put forward by Auguste are the construction of the Urbanova interchange, the construction of affordable housing, and the prevention of youth delinquency.
Auguste, who sat in the House of Commons as a member of Parliament before the Supreme Court decision, said she had “learned a lot” during that time in Parliament while assuring that she wanted to continue “the work that was started.”
She was accompanied by Jean-Yves Duclos, Member of Parliament for Québec Centre, and Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health and Member of the National Assembly for Papineau.
In addition to the by-election in Terrebonne, two others will be held in the Toronto area, due to the resignations of former ministers Chrystia Freeland and Bill Blair. Both ridings are considered Liberal strongholds.
Auguste will also face Conservative candidate Adrienne Charles, New Democrat Maxime Beaudoin, and Benjamin Rankin for the Green Party of Canada.
The Liberal candidate then went to walk the streets of Terrebonne to go door-to-door, accompanied by activists.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
