Nicole Demers

A member of the House of Commons since 2004, Nicole Demers has been the Bloc Québécois spokesperson and critic for the status of women, the needs of the elderly, health care, the family, and the needs of providers of home health care for family members. She has also been the Director-General of the "Vivre Chez-soi" Foundation, Assistant Director of Marketing for the Coopérative de soutien à domicile de Laval, the person responsible for residents at the Saint-Nom-de-Marie residence, and Assistant to the Director at the Centre de désintoxication Regard 9. In 2006, she carried the Laval riding handily, winning her second straight mandate, with 44.4% of the vote, ahead of Liberal Alia Haddad who finished second with 25.6%.

Nicole Demers believes the Laval region's economy has suffered gravely as a result of the Conservative government's policies in the past few years. She deplores the closing of several small businesses in the local community. "These businesses could have survived if the Harper government had chosen to support them instead of financing rich oil companies," she maintains. Similar to other Bloc Québécois candidates on Laval island, Mrs. Demers shares the view that there's a crying need for social housing and affordable low-rent units for the elderly. On the other hand, she believes that the pharmaceutical industry provides high-quality jobs in Laval, and it's important to support this sector, which also has experienced losses in recent years.

(Photo: Martin Alarie)