A Q&A between the Beauharnois-Salaberry-Soulanges-Huntingdon MP and a Gault Elementary student Ezmeray Berendt
Beauharnois-Salaberry-Soulanges-Huntingdon MP Claude DeBellefeuille visited Gault Institute on June 16 for an in-person interview with one of her biggest fans, student Ezmeray Berendt.
DeBellefeuille said a visit to the Salaberry-de-Valleyfield-based elementary school was a highlight of her recent election campaign, and that returning to speak with Berendt was both an honour and privilege. The two chatted about her political career, their shared favourite colour (blue), and the role of young people in the future of Quebec politics.
[EB] How did you feel when you won the election?
[CD] When I won, I was very happy and I experienced it as a wave of love towards me – because I knew that in the majority of the 8,000 surplus votes I received, there were many votes that belonged to me because of my work. I experienced it as recognition. It’s rare in politics to experience that kind of recognition.
But in this election, my heart was truly filled with joy to see that there were liberals who had voted for me, that there were federalists who had voted for me, that there were people who had voted for me not necessarily because of my party but because they recognized the work I had done. That made me really happy.
If you could change one thing about your election campaign, what would it be?
If I had a magic wand, I would remove everything from my social media page that people said to insult me, disrespect me, and accuse me of things I’ve never done. I would love to be able to make it all disappear. I hesitated before blocking or deleting them because I told myself that I’m a public figure, so I have to be able to tolerate it, but there were some things I had to delete because the insults were too severe. This is my first election where there has been so much hatred on my public Facebook page as a member of parliament.
Who was your biggest supporter when you said you wanted to go into politics?
It would be my partner, Maurice. The first time I was elected was in 2006. The girls were 16, 14, and the youngest was 9. So, my partner was alone with the three kids during the week. Maurice did all the homework, lessons, drove the kids to their activities, to their friends’ houses, planned meals, all of that. So if he hadn’t been there, supporting me and encouraging me all the time, I might not have continued to run for office.
After that, I would say it was my parents who looked after the children a lot. When Maurice couldn’t, my mother was there to back us up. That’s how it was. If you don’t have a good support system in politics, especially as a woman, you can’t really do your job.
What inspired you to get into politics?
I think what attracted me was definitely Quebec. It’s my nation and I have big dreams for Quebec. That’s what inspires me to try to change the world and make it a better place. That’s really it. I’ve also had leaders who have inspired me: definitely Pauline Marois, Gilles Duceppe, and Yves-François Blanchet. They are people who really inspired me to get into politics and gave me confidence. Because politics isn’t easy.
Do you see a difference when you talk to children and adults?
I find that children ask very specific questions without any ulterior motives. It’s really like a question that I would say is more authentic, because they really want to understand and they’re not influenced to ask a certain question. I really like answering children’s questions because you feel like it comes from the heart; it’s something they are concerned about, and there’s no interference in the way they express themselves.
How important are young people to politicians in Quebec?
Young people have a lot of power that they don’t use. If young people were more interested and voted in large numbers, we could change the world. But I think it’s part of life; maybe by gaining experience, young people will see later that they have power and that it’s important to vote. But for me, right now as we speak, we are making decisions about their future. Young people need to be heard; we need to listen to them, because right now big political decisions are being made, and I don’t think they’re necessarily in the best interests of our young people.
Will you run for election again?
In politics, we never say what we’re going to do because we’re in a minority government. That means we don’t know how long it will be before the next election. If it’s next year, my answer might be different than if it is in four years from now, because four years is a long time. I like my job, I have a lot of energy, and I want to keep doing it. Now, when the time comes for the next election, I’m sure I’ll ask myself whether I want to do another four years or if I want to move on. But for now, I’m preparing to work for another four years as a member of Parliament.
*This article was written by Ezmeray Berendt, a student at Gault Institute, as part of a partnership between The Gleaner and the New Frontiers School Board.
Gault Institute student Ezmeray Berendt met with her political idol Beauharnois-Salaberry-Soulanges-Huntingdon MP Claude DeBellefeuille for an inspiring in-person interview on June 16.