Parti Québécois MNAs took part in a training session led by former Premier Pauline Marois on Thursday.
She was joined by Jean Royer, who served as chief of staff to former Premier Jacques Parizeau.
PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon initiated the training, describing it as a “mini-MBA” for the newly elected representatives.
Addressing the group at the start of the session, he remarked: “From the outside, politics looks simple. … It might even give the impression that you have already mastered this new role.
“The reality is quite different. … In the development of every MNA, there are moments when they think to themselves: ‘If I had known, I wouldn’t have done it that way.’”
The PQ saw 60 MNAs elected on Oct. 5, most of whom are political newcomers who have never before served in the National Assembly.
According to Marois, who spoke to reporters afterward, Thursday’s training was designed to explain the inner workings of the legislature in Quebec, while offering advice on potential pitfalls to avoid.
She noted that, throughout the session, she would emphasize the importance of treating all stakeholders with respect, starting with the Opposition parties.
She pointed out that the PQ’s minority government will need the Opposition to help advance its legislative agenda.
“It’s about starting from the premise that others might have something to teach me,” she said. “If I treat them with respect, they are more likely to share that knowledge more spontaneously, more naturally.”
“Building connections, fostering a healthy relationship with them, makes things much easier,” she added. The former premier herself led a minority government between 2012 and 2014.
“There are things I might do differently if I had the chance,” she confided. “I might be more open toward the Opposition.”
Marois also advises the newly elected members to remain “authentic.”
“They must uphold the commitments they made, take ownership of them, and be accountable to the public. Their greatest challenge is simply staying true to themselves.”
Royer adds that the members of the National Assembly must “be aware that they are part of a team.”
“As for the rest, things will work out.”
When asked whether she intended to remain close to the new government, Marois laughed before bringing up her initiative to combat homelessness.
She expressed her satisfaction that St-Pierre Plamondon has taken personal charge of the file, rather than delegating it to one of his ministers.
“There is a great deal of coordination required within the government apparatus,” she stated. “We need to move faster and more effectively. We have to break down the silos.”
“Having the file under the premier’s direct responsibility sends a very clear message throughout the administration: when a request is made to amend rules or change regulations, action will be taken — and taken quickly,” she added.
Following the training session on Thursday, several members of the National Assembly hurried past the journalists, pausing only long enough to remark that they had found the exercise “very interesting” and “very informative.” One lesson learned is “to listen and to know what you’re talking about before you speak,” stated Cédric Ducharme Gagnon, the MNA for Borduas.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
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