QUEBEC-CITY: Former Liberal turned independent MNA Fatima Houda-Pepin will fight for her seat in Montreal’s south-shore riding of La Piniere.
The sole Muslim woman at the National Assembly is seeking a 7th mandate.
Houda-Pepin was kicked out of the Liberal caucus earlier this year after a dispute over the Charter of Quebec Values.
Now, she’s ready to wage battle against the Liberals’ new candidate.
“You have in front of you an MNA who always stood for the interests of her constituency,” she said.
She is in fighting form.
The last months have been trying, but Houda-Pepin said isn’t prepared to give up her job representing the people of La Piniere.
“Francophones, anglophones, minorities – I try to build bridges between all these communities,” she said.
She’ll be running against new Liberal candidate Dr. Gaetan Barrette.
“I never attacked the adversaries in my riding in six elections so I won’t start doing that,” she said.
“Dr. Barrette, we don’t know where he stands on his issues. He was Caquiste 18 months ago. Today he is Liberal because he feels maybe he has a chance to become a minister.”
Houda-Pepin promised to stand by her convictions and make her presence felt during the campaign – reminding people at every turn she was excluded from Philippe Couillard’s Liberal caucus because of their diverging views on state secularism.
Nevertheless, Couillard remained unrepentant.
“I know that Dr. Barrette will do a great campaign in his riding and he will win,” said Couillard.
“Now anybody can run, that’s democracy. Will Fatima Houda-Pepin be a rock in your shoe? My shoes are very comfortable, thank you.”
Bernard Drainville, the Parti Quebecois minister piloting the Charter of Quebec Values, argued Couillard is reaping what he sowed.
“They just basically got rid of her and that embodies, I think, the incapacity of the Liberal party to deal with this whole issue of the charter,” said Drainville.
Houda-Pepin added she finds it unfair Gaetan Barrette will use the money she raised to campaign in La Piniere.
She says fund-raising for her at this point will be difficult but she’s been getting a ton of support from Quebecers on all political allegiances.
Comments