“Positive change for Argenteuil” is what Sarah Lacasse-Dwyer is promising if she becomes the district’s next Member of the National Assembly. The Harrington township councillor and Lachute notary was recently named as the candidate for the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) in the provincial election expected this fall. Lacasse-Dwyer said the CAQ does not generally use a nomination process like other parties do. She joined the party earlier this year and then applied in writing to be the candidate in Argenteuil.
The CAQ, led by François Legault, is often seen as a conservative alternative to the governing Québec Liberals and less nationalistic than the Parti Québécois. However, Sarah Lacasse-Dwyer said the CAQ is a “coalition that does not like labels” that wants to efficiently manage public finances and maximize what people get for their tax dollars. She said the CAQ is a “dynamic party that listens” and wants to solve the problems facing Quebecers.
Lacasse-Dwyer identified several issues in Argenteuil that she would like to see addressed if she were the MNA. She wants to see more industrial development to create jobs and noted that existing areas for development are not always properly equipped for that purpose. Lacasse Dwyer is critical of the Couillard government’s Orientation 10 initiative which seeks to limit certain land uses and property severances to preserve agricultural land in areas close to major cities like Montréal. “It’s financial penalizing landowners,” she said, adding that it could even prevent rural properties from being divided so members of the same family could have lots to build their own homes on. Lacasse-Dwyer also said there are many roads in Argenteuil in need of major repair.
The CAQ candidate grew up in Brownsburg. She was first elected to Harrington council in 2013 and was re-elected in 2017. Fluently bilingual, she is hoping that anglophone residents of Argenteuil consider voting CAQ. “I want to motivate the English community to vote for the coalition,” she said, adding “If it’s in English or French, we’ll listen.” Overall, she is hoping to build a movement of CAQ support in the district. “I hope that people will get involved in these elections to create momentum for positive change,” said Lacasse-Dwyer.
