Mike Cohen - Quebec Bureau Chief - MONTREAL – As the Quebec election campaign draws to a close, with voting set for Tuesday, Sept. 4, the B’nai Brith Canada’s Quebec Region has played an active role in meeting with candidates from all parties and making sure issues of importance to the Jewish community are raised.
The latest polls predict a minority government, headed by separatist leader Pauline Marois of the Parti Québecois, with the fledgling Coalition Avenir Québec in second and the present-day governing Liberals coming in third.
Anna Ahronheim, who joined the B’nai Brith Quebec office in June as coordinator of government and community relations, has organized a series of meetings and town halls in ridings with Jewish populations. Each one of these – D’Arcy McGee, Outremont, Mount Royal, St. Laurent, Westmount-St. Louis, NDG, West Island Robert Baldwin and Chomedey – are expected to stay Liberal.
Last Sunday, a town hall debate took place at the Young Israel of Chomedey Congregation featuring incumbent Liberal MNA Guy Ouellette, Jean Cooke of the PQ and Marielle Potvin of the CAQ. Private meetings have been held with Ouellette, D’Arcy McGee Liberal MNA Lawrence Bergman, Robert Baldwin Liberal MNA Pierre Marsan, as well as CAQ and PQ candidates in Outremont, Westmount-St. Louis and NDG.
Some of the issues raised by B’nai Brith representatives Ahronheim, Gerry Weinstein, Larry Rosenthal, Sharon Koifman and Jerry Tarasofsky have included what candidates and their parties plan to do about alleviating poverty, housing needs, protecting the community against terrorism, combating antisemitism and racism and integrating newcomers to Quebec and language. Everything is nicely packaged in a guide, which has been handed to each candidate.
“These meetings were extremely important,” said Rosenthal. “They enabled us to stress the need to lead by example, demonstrate compassion and understanding and be proactive and come to the aid of those less fortunate. Our aging community requires special attention, be it for enhanced security, social or medical care.
“At B’nai B’rith we take our community responsibilities very seriously and are willing partners with our provincial government.”
Bergman represents perhaps the most significant Liberal stronghold in the province. This is his sixth election campaign in 18 years. He and his team are working very hard to encourage voter turnout, noting that a certain complacency sets in with people thinking their vote does not mean anything. Bergman points to the overall percentage of the popular vote.
Outremont Liberal MNA Raymond Bachand, the Minister of Finance and Revenue, feels the same way.
“I am making phone calls to constituents myself,” he told the Jewish Tribune, recognizing the fact that among his electorate is a large Chassidic Jewish population. “The overall percentage of the vote is an important factor.”
The Liberals have been in power for nine years, during which time Bergman has been likened to a Minister of Jewish Affairs. The PQ does not have any Jewish candidates while the CAQ has high-profile Jewish candidate Maud Cohen, past president of the Quebec Order of Engineers, involved in a heated three way race in Laval des Rapides.