Declaration of candidacy

To all members of Québec solidaire,

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To all residents of Québec,

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Our Earth is under threat. The violence being done to it, the violence being done to us, is intolerable. We must discuss it and take action. We must mobilise. This is a challenge we can face together.

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I bring with me several years of experience, training, and social engagement. This is why I’ve decided to run for the position of spokesperson for Québec solidaire. I made this decision because I share the values that led to the founding of this party and have guided its actions for the past 20 years. We must affirm, loudly and clearly, our commitment to strengthen the power of community organizations, unions, student associations, citizen groups, small business associations, and self-employed workers. I’m also stepping forward because I believe I can actively help bring more Quebecers to share these values and create a government that truly embodies them. It’s time to take the next step: convince Quebecers that we are ready to take on the responsibilities of power, not just to govern in our turn, but to lead and support real social change.

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We stand for social justice, equality and solidarity. We want to eliminate poverty. That is why I am working with community organisations and citizen groups to establish a basic universal income programme known as the “Alliance Revenu de Base Régions Est (ARBRE)” modelled on our National Health Insurance. In our country of solidarity, everyone will have access to the material, educational and relational resources necessary to exercise their rights. Furthermore, under our government, our health and social services system will be welcoming and caring for its staff and the people who use it. No one will be left behind. This is what I accomplished as Executive Director of the Cree Board of Health and Social Services, where I worked to make services culturally appropriate and safe, drawing on my master's degree in management.

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We are feminists. In our country of solidarity, all people will be considered equal. The entire socio-economic environment will promote this equality in practice. In this sense, I actively participated in the creation and battles of the popular daycare centres that led to the emergence of the network of Early Childhood Centres (CPEs). All government solidarity initiatives will be subject to gender-based analysis. I have promoted this approach  in my public health department. We will be mindful of the interdependence of multiple forms of discrimination that can affect an individual or group of individuals. 

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We are environmentalists. We have only one Earth to feed us, shelter us, breathe, love and live. We must take action to slow global warming and adapt to climate change. That is why I am a member of the governance committee of the Collectivité ZÉN de la Gaspésie. I was the principal investigator in a study assessing the impact of Hydro-Québec's major projects on the health of the Cree population. I am responsible for a working group that studies the effect of mining and large industrial projects on small communities. I chaired the working group that influenced the Canadian Public Health Association's position on eliminating the production and use of asbestos. I am a member of the “Association pour les victimes de l'amiante du Québec” (AVAQ). Our government will protect the integrity and diversity of Quebec's territory and exercise international leadership to protect our planet.

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We are alter-globalists. We will establish equal and fair relations with all countries. We are one humanity and we are all responsible for each other. Hence the relevance of my work in Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia and Europe, as a labourer, rescue worker, computer scientist, teacher, epidemiologist, project manager and more. A Québec Solidaire government will maintain international relations with all countries. We will actively participate in international forums to end all forms of violence and coercion in relations between nations.

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We are democrats. We recognise that the state is a collective tool that belongs to all of us equally. We value citizenship education and will develop multiple tools for citizen participation in governance. Since my first formal political involvement in 1970, I have organised political education activities, participated in four elections as a candidate, and become a member of the Mouvement Démocratie Nouvelle. I attach great importance to electoral reform. Every vote must count and allow for an equal redistribution of power among communities. There can be no democracy without continuing education. This will always be a priority in our Québec under a solidarity-based government. 

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We are sovereignists and inclusive. All nations on Earth have the right to self-determination and to negotiate agreements among themselves to share their powers, wealth, cultures and projects in complete freedom. This applies to the people who inhabit the territory of Quebec, thus forming the diverse and inclusive Quebec nation. It also applies to all Indigenous nations living in the territory of Quebec. I lived in the James Bay Cree Territory for more than five years as Regional Director of Public Health. I witnessed the changes brought about by the “Paix des braves” and the gradual formation of the Cree Government. Quebec culture, in all its forms, has been the bearer of our identity for over 6,000 years. It deserves to be supported and to continue to evolve in a secure environment while remaining open to the world. Sovereignty is a major pillar for the realization of all other values. We need to reflect on a strategy to unite all sovereignists. 

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But achieving all this requires that we prepare ourselves to govern. Great values can remain mere dreams if they are not accompanied by real power to act. These values are enshrined in our program and our electoral platforms. Our parliamentary wing is strong and relevant, and our organisation is taking root. I am ready to carry the message of Québec Solidaire. We want to form the next government in a renewed democratic context. This is the only way to embody the principles we defend in reality. I am running for the position of spokesperson for Québec solidaire to share these principles, carry the voice of activists in the field, and participate in creating a fair and egalitarian nation.

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Why should I be entrusted with the role of spokesperson?

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I believe I have the necessary qualifications to fulfil this responsibility. In terms of education, I have completed: a vocational teaching diploma in industrial machinery maintenance mechanics; two bachelor's degrees, one in health sciences and the other in mathematics and computer science; two master's degrees, one in epidemiology and the other in health systems management; a doctorate in medicine and a specialisation in public health and preventive medicine. I am well equipped to guide us through complexity.

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In terms of professional experience, I have worked in several factories in Montreal as a labourer and then as a mechanic. I have served as regional director of public health in the James Bay and Gaspé Peninsula regions, where I still work as a public health physician, while also lending a hand in Abitibi-Témiscamingue. I am an associate professor in the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine at Laval University, which I led for more than five years. I have led and participated in development, education and research projects in a dozen countries, as well as in Indigenous communities. I also own a small organic market garden and forestry farm in Gaspé. I have developed strong participatory leadership skills and the ability to adapt to a variety of environments.

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In terms of socio-political experience, I participated in the creation of a network of community daycare centres, a food cooperative, an organisation to support migrant workers, and the SPOT clinic in Quebec City. I have been a union representative and a member of a health and safety committee. I was president of the “Quebec Association of Preventive Medicine Specialists”. I have been a member of Québec solidaire since 2008. I am the coordinator of the QS Association in Gaspé and a member of the Political Action Committee on Living Conditions, Health and Social Services. I understand the patience, perseverance and determination required for political action.

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I live in a rural area of Quebec. I am an extra-parliamentary candidate. This status will allow me to work closely with the community in all cities, suburbs, rural areas and Indigenous communities in Quebec. While maintaining close ties with our spokesperson Ruba Ghazal, our parliamentary team and the permanent staff, I will travel throughout all of Quebec's constituencies. I will play a role that complements Ruba's. In practical terms, I plan to devote five days a week to this task. On the sixth day, I will continue my work as a specialist in public health and preventive medicine. This will allow me to maintain my expertise, help the two regions I work for, and guarantee myself an independent income without having to rely on the party's financial reserves. The seventh day will be devoted to family and rejuvenation. 

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Thus, I will have the pleasure and honour of accompanying Ruba Ghazal, Member of Parliament for Mercier and the only woman currently leading a party represented in the National Assembly. The Quebec left has placed its full confidence in her. I sincerely hope that our collaboration will carry our message to the hearts of the people of Quebec in every corner of our beautiful country.

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In solidarity,

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Yv Bonnier Viger