Charest sings the praises of his Laval team

In an interview conducted this past Monday aboard his campaign bus, the premier lauded the merits of the four candidates of the region seeking re-election. The only newcomer to the team is ex-SQ officer Guy Ouellette, running to retain the Chomedey seat vacated by Thomas Mulcair.

Former environment minister Mulcair, who had represented the riding since 1994, announced his withdrawal from politics about ten days ago. "Mr. Mulcair made a personal decision," Jean Charest stated. "(After) he had he had been an MNA for a dozen years, he decided to turn the page."

Conceding that the multi-ethnic Chomedey riding is a Liberal bastion, Mr. Charest added that he took nothing for granted.

When it was pointed out to the premier that during PQ governments Laval usually had two or three ministers sitting in cabinet, and that with only Michelle Courchesne representing the island at the council of ministers table with the dropping of Thomas Mulcair last February, Mr. Charest gave assurances that the region is well-represented. "It must also be kept in mind that our government had a record number of women, all of whom held key positions. "Michelle (Courchesne) played a major role, particularly in the parental leave file," he explained.

The premier said he was happy to see that the parental leave policy had positive effects on the birthrate. "It's a fantastic program," he claimed. For her part Mrs. Courchesne, the godmother of the parental leave program, emphasized that it only came to pass because the premier made it a priority.

On the extension of the Metro Orange Line to Carrefour Blvd from Côte-Vertu, a dream held near and dear by Laval mayor Gilles Vaillancourt, Jean Charest said there are no plans to add any more lines to the existing network. "We're going to open the Laval stations," he said jokingly, issuing a reminder that first on the list of subway priorities is the upgrading of the fleet of cars presently in use.

The premier spent most of the morning and part of the evening in Laval, beginning the day with a press conference at Cite de la Santé where he unveiled the party's health program, ending with an appearance at a rally attended by local candidates, party members and supporters at the Palace in Chomedey.

(Photo: Martin Alarie)