Here is my message for September, along with our monthly newsletter.

Also, as you may have heard, we recently welcomed Arpad Nagy to our team, as Director of Political Operations for Campagne Québec-Vie. Today, I am happy to give him the floor to allow him to say a few words about the importance of engaging in the current provincial general election. Without further ado, here is his message below.

Blessings,

--Brian Jenkins

***

On my way to church Sunday morning, I noticed that the Montreal urban landscape has changed. Innumerable posts have all of a sudden been plastered by the faces of the next crop of provincial politicians. The writ has dropped! The provincial elections are underway! Overnight, the campaign teams of all the political parties were hard at work covering the whole province with their campaign materials.

In just under 5 weeks, we will be at the polls, voting for the next crop of representatives at the National Assembly. The candidates we will elect will most likely be representing us for the next 4 years.

For many of you, as it is for me as well, the direction of these elections may not seem promising. The polls are suggesting that the ruling party is heading towards another majority government, and only one of the major parties seems to represent us, and even at that, only partially.

With all of this going on, I need your help.

In Quebec culture and politics, Christian values and the pro-life position are not popular. And the more unpopular they become, the more it is important that we voice them. Our politicians need to know that we are here, and here to stay. They need to know that we are numerous, and they need to hear our voices proclaim our beliefs loud and clear. Each of the 125 candidates in the 5 main parties need to hear us. Our voice must be heard. The candidates in your region will be hosting several meetings in the coming weeks. Will you be available to go meet your candidates and ask them questions, and explain to them our concerns? Tell them why we are concerned for parental and family rights, why we want pre-born children to be protected, and that we want to be able to practise our Christian faith freely? Here are a few suggestions of question you can ask.

—What do you think of late-term abortions? Is aborting a child mere days before birth an acceptable practice? What if a child is born alive from an abortion, do you think they should be killed or left to die?

—At what age should children be taught about sexuality? Should elementary school children be guided to consider homosexuality and transgenderism? Do you believe parents are responsible for their children until they are adults? What do you think about parents who homeschool?

—Should churches retain their charity status? Should all pregnancy centres retain their charity status?

—Would you approve of legislation legalizing prostitution?

—Do you approve of doctor-patient confidentiality? Does this include Covid related information? Would you make a Covid vaccine mandatory? Will you defend conscience right for physicians? Would you support laws to defend the vulnerable in society (like the elderly, the depressed, the sick, the handicapped)? What do you think of MAID for these vulnerable people?

Personalize your questions, and if you can, include questions on other political issues, like the environment, the economy, firearms, immigration, etc. It is important to show ourselves as intelligent and implicated in all aspects of the governance of our province. Also, it is important that we find out what our candidates believe, and not what the party leader believes, or what is written in the party policy book. The candidate who will be elected will have the responsibility to represent us in parliament. They will be voting for the good of all their constituents.

When the candidates’ ideas go against our own, it is important that we show our sadness and deception. Whatever you may ask, whatever conversation you may have, I encourage you to always do so in charity, with no anger, and always in a manner to properly represent the Lord Jesus Christ. We, who are Christians, are called to be “little-Christs” to our families and neighbours, and in the weeks to come, to our provincial candidates. Before any action, let’s also remember to prepare ourselves with prayer, so that the Holy Spirit would guide us, and so that the Lord may call many lost sheep back to the fold.

If you come across any information on the candidates in your riding, we would love to hear from you. Please e-mail me at [email protected]. I thank you in advance.

Regarding the October 3rd vote—for whom to vote, recommended criteria, questions of conscience…. More on that in the coming weeks.

Here is my last week’s interview with Georges in French. Among other topics, we address the upcoming election. It may interest you…



May the Lord keep you,

Arpad Nagy

Quebecers will be heading to the polls this September 4th.

In a previous blog, Quebec Life Coalition President, Mr. Georges Buscemi, outlined four key questions that electors should ask their local candidates to help them decide for whom to vote.

In an effort to help you identify your local candidates, I have brought the following resources together.

1. The Director General of the Elections (DGEQ)  A good starting point is the website of the Director General of the Elections. This will allow you to identify your riding, by simply inputing your postal code.

Second, knowing your riding, you can then access a handy table, click here, to learn more about your riding including who the candidates are.

If you wish to contact the DGEQ, their toll-free number is 1-888-353-2846.

2. Go for a Walk.  A second way to learn who the local candidates are is to go for a walk. This past Saturday, while doing errands, I noticed that the Liberal Party of Quebec had already hoisted several campaign signs containing the picture and name of their local candidate.

3. Contact the Parties: Finally, as political parties and candidates have until August 18th to submit their candidature, a third way to learn who your local candidates are is to contact the parties directly. Here are the contacts for the major parties:

1. Liberal Party of Quebec:1-800-361-1047;
2. Parti Québecois: 1-800-363-9531;
3. Québec solidaire: 1-866-278-9014;
4. Coalition Avenir du Québec: 1-866-416-2960;
5. Conservative Party of Quebec: (514) 433-0500;
6. Unité Nationale Party: (819) 731-3296; and
7. Objectif Vie Québec Party: (remains unlisted)

Case Study: Riding of St. Laurent

As electoral boundaries are prone to shifting, it may be prudent to check with the DGEQ. Here, on entering my postal code, I was immediately told what I expected; that my riding is St-Laurent.

While on with this site, I then sought out to learn who my candidates were. Unfortunately, I came away no wiser. None of the parties had yet registered.

I then decided to contact individually the various parties. Above noted above, I had seen electoral signs for the local liberal candidate - Mr. Jean-Marc Fournier.

As for the Parti Québecois, the Québec solidaire, and CAQ candidates, I phoned and emailed these to find answers.

• PQ: Mr. Roger Gagnon;
• QS: Ms. Marie-Josèphe Pigeon - (514) 743-8343;
• CAQ: Mr. Georges Manolikakis

The remaining two parties have yet to nominate a candidate.

Next week, I will report on what success I have had in contacting the individual candidates and what response they have given regarding the four pivotal questions.