The new Châteauguay – Les Jardins-de-Napierville MP, Nathalie Provost, has been named as one of ten secretaries of state that will support Prime Minister Mark Carney’s cabinet as parliament resumes next week in Ottawa.
Provost was sworn in as the secretary of state for nature at Rideau Hall on May 13. She says she was asked to take on this important mandate just one day before the ceremony.
“It is an honour to be named for nature,” she says, noting that the prime minister acknowledged her work within the provincial environment ministry, which is less well-known compared to her more public role as a gun control and women’s rights activist.
According to the prime minister’s office, the new secretaries of state were selected to provide “dedicated leadership on specific issues or priorities within the broader portfolio of a cabinet minister.” While not a full member of cabinet, Provost will be invited to participate in cabinet or cabinet committee meetings when matters related to her portfolio are being discussed.
Provost says she is very confident with this file, noting she has already met with several individuals within related ministries. “It has been very comfortable because we speak the same language already,” she explains. “I understand the job of a civil servant. I know the process,” she adds, noting that while there are some differences between the provincial and federal governments, the work is much the same.
“My role as a secretary of state will be to put into action precise promises that were made during the campaign,” she says. In the context of protecting nature, the Liberal’s Canada Strong platform promised to create at least 10 new national parks and marine protected areas, as well as 15 new urban parks and green spaces in municipalities, while halting and reversing nature and biodiversity loss by conserving 30 per cent of Canadian land and waters by 2030.
Other promises revolve around conserving nature in partnership with Indigenous peoples, championing nature conservation internationally, prioritizing natural infrastructure, mapping ecologically sensitive areas, protecting species at risk, improving Parks Canada’s disaster-response capabilities, and connecting Canadians through nature by making access to national parks and historic sites free for the summer.
“We will have a lot of work to do,” acknowledges Provost, who will be sworn in this week as the MP for the Châteauguay – Les Jardins-de-Napierville riding. She says that while parliament is scheduled to resume its session on May 26, she is already focused on serving the constituency.
Provost has been building her team on the ground in her riding and in Ottawa, where she expects to actively participate on different caucuses. “I will have many opportunities to have a clear role for my constituents,” she says, noting she hopes to work at least one day per week from her office in Chateauguay.