November 12, 1998

Liberals finally dig up a candidate to run in Ungava

A young man who once had a summer job in Chibougamou is the Liberal candidate for Ungava in the Quebec provincial election.

JANE GEORGE
Nunatsiaq News

MONTREAL — He's young, but experienced, and says that he'll work hard for Nunavik in Quebec City.

Claude Eric Gagné, 29, a former president of the Quebec Young Liberals, has come forward as the Liberal candidate in the Ungava riding.

"I think that I'm the best candidate to help communities take back their power," said Gagné.

Originally from the Lac St-Jean region of Quebec, Gagné worked summers as a student near Chibougamau, a community at the riding's southern border.

Unfamiliar with Nunavik, Gagné recently met in Montreal with the Makivik Corporation's president, Pita Aatami, and the mayors of Kuujjuaq and Kuujjuaraapik to discuss issues important to the region.

The young candidate said that he can particularly identify with the problems faced by Nunavik's young and growing population.

"There are a lot of young people in the region," said Gagné. "And if we have a young society, we must provide homes for these young people to live and to raise their own families."

Gagné said that he'd devote 100 per cent of his energy to solving youth's most pressing social and economic problems, such as finding a home and a job.

"They [the Péquistes] seem to be more preoccupied with attaining their objective of sovereignty instead of finding solutions to our problems," he said. "I think they've forgotten the young people of the North."

According to Gagné, a fundamental difference between his party and the Parti Québécois is that the Liberals are ready to concentrate on practical issues such as housing, health and education.

He said that they would rely on cooperation, not confrontation, in their negotiations with the federal government, a strategy that he says should produce better results.

Gagné is a staunch federalist who believes that Canada offers Nunavik the best chance for self-government.

"In a federalist system, there are provinces and regions that are different, that people can identify with and over which they can exercise their control," he said.

Gagné said that he expects Ungava's native voters to support the Liberals in this election, much as they did the "No" position during the 1995 referendum on sovereignty.

Then, voter turnout topped 80 per cent in the Cree and Inuit communities. More than 90 per cent of Cree voted against sovereignty. If Gagné can pick up their votes on November 30, he may win in Ungava, despite the PQ strength in certain parts of the riding.

Gagné intends to campaign personally in Nunavik and the Cree territory.

"I want to listen to the people because they know what they want," he said. "After that, I want to offer them my service, as an ally."

Although his main office would be in Chibougamou, if elected, Gagné would like to open another office in the North.

Next week: an interview with the Parti Québécois candidate, Michel Létourneau.