Former student leader Martine Desjardins on her move to politics

Watch: Extended interview with Martine Desjardins

MONTREAL – Martine Desjardins came into the spotlight for her role during the student uprisings of 2012 known as the Maple Spring.

As the leader for the Féderation étudiante universitaire du Québec (FEUQ), Desjardins was a staunch  government critic and a proponent of accessibility to education for all.

Now, she is the Parti Québécois MNA candidate in the riding of Groulx for the upcoming provincial election.

READ MORE: Former student leader Martine Desjardins runs for the Parti Quebecois

When asked how she conciliated those two personnae — fighting government, with her bid to join government — Desjardins explained that following her days as student leader, she wrote columns for newspapers and appeared on radio shows.

Despite the wide-ranging influence of media on shaping ideas, she said that she found it difficult to effect change.

“We know media is the fourth power across the province, but it’s not that easy to do action.”

She expressed a desire to move away from the role of critic and observer, to the more active role of political player.

Her decision has been heavily criticized by those who say that by joining PQ she is betraying the very students that she purports to defend.

Her decision to run with the PQ came as a disappointment to the Association pour une solidarité syndicale étudiante (ASSÉ), one of the more militant student groups in Quebec.

“With her candidacy, Ms. Desjardins gives legitimacy to a party that goes against the interests of the students she claims to defend,” the federation said in a statement.

” I don’t understand actually these critics,” she said.

Desjardins argued that the results of discussions with the PQ following the student summit have been nothing short of  extraordinary for the  students.

As a student leader, Desjardins fought for a tuition freeze, but when confronted with issue of  tuition hikes implemented by the PQ government, she sidestepped the question and redirected by raising the issue of accessibility.

She said that by improving the bursary program, the government had in fact put money back into the hands of students, noting that the program helped students with their everyday needs.

As such, the PQ had improved access to education.

When asked how, as a fighter of student rights, she could defend the proposed charter of values, seen by many as discriminatory she said:

“I am behind the charter 100 per cent because I think it will also preserve equality for men and women.”

READ MORE: Quebec students’ federation comes out against the charter

She went on to note that people would need time to adapt to such a measure, but maintained that preserving  religious neutrality in public office was paramount.

The arrival of media mogul and billionaire Pierre-Karl Péladeau (PKP) onto the political scene has created quite a splash.

READ MORE: PQ announces star candidate: Quebecor mogul Pierre Karl Peladeau

Despite her leftist social roots, Desjardins remains unfazed.

“The Parti Quebecois is a coalition of people that think, and they are leaders with expertise in their own field,” she said.

“I was a leader and he is a leader as well, and we just have different ideas on some issues, but we do have the same ideas on others.”

Desjardins added that what unites them is their common goal of sovereignty for the province of Quebec.

READ MORE: Marois: Rest of Canada would be welcome to visit independent Quebec

As for the rest, she said that she was not afraid of  a good debate.

Dejardins expressed hope that her involvement in politics would motivate other young people to become involved in different organisations, to take the lead,  and stimulate change.