From Hockey to Parliament: A Pass on the Pallet | election canada 2021

In other words, is it beyond linguistic, cultural, religious differences, social class differences, etc.?

A simple answer, undoubtedly easy, but let’s go: our love for hockey.

It is our national sport, our pride, a deep identityNancy Drolet tells me a hockey woman who made history by scoring in overtime twice at the 1997 and 2000 Women’s World Hockey Championships.

When we wear a maple leaf on a sweater, we know the whole nation is united, gathered behind us, she says, evoking this memory.

from player to candidate

We meet Nancy Drolet just as the Canadian women’s hockey team prepares to play the deciding game of the World Championship against the United States. But, on this cold Tuesday night, the former Canadian team star player is far out of this universe, as she plays on a new rink, alongside a new team, the Liberals of Justin Trudeau.

In a dilapidated building on Rue Belanger, Drolet waits for supporters of the Liberal Party of Rosemont – La Petite-Petri – for a fundraising cocktail. There is something sad about the reception hall with fake plastic chandeliers.

The room is sparse, but the mentor of the new politician, Yvonne Lambert, who won 4 Stanley Cups with Saint-Flannel, is playing near the bar with the father of Nancy Drolet, himself a former player on the team. Major junior hockey team in Drummondville.

The link between politics and hockey? In both areas, you need to know how to skate!

His daughter answers this question more seriously. The two arenas of sports and politics require a lot of preparation, perseverance.

A famous fictional character would say: hardness of mind. And Nancy Drolet will need it to play this game. Since the orange wave in 2011, Rosemont has been a stronghold of the New Democratic Party. Alexandre Boularis, the party’s captain in Quebec and the sole survivor of this famous wave, won in 2019, with 42% of the vote, far ahead of liberals and the bloc.

learn to bounce back

My idol is Maurice Richard, explains Ms. Drolet. He taught me never to give up, she says excitedly. She talks about her team’s heartbreaking silver medal at the Nagano Olympics. Sport teaches us to bounce back, rise, she says, a glimmer of pride in her brown eyes.

The arrival of Nancy Drolet in Canadian politics adds a name to the list of hockey leaders. Writer and sports commentator Christian Tetroult talks about Red Kelly, who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs as Lester B. Served for three years as an MP in Pearson’s government. He was the MP for York West. I remember when he played we found it very special.

From 2004 to 2011, Ken Dryden, famed goalkeeper for the Montreal Canadiens in the 1970s, would host York Center County for the Federal Liberals. he was not a very good politician, remembering Tetroult, laughing.

He was arrogant and contemptuous. Politics can be dangerous for a hockey player, speak to Guy LaFleur, who backed Brian Mulroney’s team during the Mitch Lake era and his brushes over the notion of a veto in front of journalists.

Christian Tetroult also believes that a love of hockey, especially in the fields, can drive one to parliament. Take Richard Martel, Conservative MP of Saguenay, former coach of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. In my opinion, it is his success in the arena that explains his success in politics.

The area, especially in this area, is the meeting point of the public square, the church square, a community.

Jacques and Yanni Gourde

In Saint-Narcis-de-Burevez, the outgoing Conservative MP for Lewis-Lotbinier since 2006, Jacques Gourde, waits for me in front of the municipal area, which sits right next to a beautiful old church painted in blue. It was from here that Gourde started playing hockey in his childhood. The Conservative MP’s representation refers to his now famous younger cousin who was part of this year’s Stanley Cup victory by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

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Jacques Gourde (right) poses next to a Stanley Cup with his younger cousins ​​i.e. Gourde (centre) and Chantal (left).

Photo: Radio-Canada / Millie Dubreuil

The Conservative candidate didn’t hesitate to make a slight advantage over the family star and proudly walk around the village with the Stanley Cup in Saint-Narcisse. Last year, Jacques Gourde used minutes of parliament to pay a lively tribute to his nephew in front of elected officials.

In a small family restaurant in the village where a young couple cooks local produce, farmer-politicians engage in sociopolitical observations. When I started in politics, we had about 15 seconds to produce a clip to grab media attention., said one of the stalwarts of Parliament.

Today, we have about three words that have been retained. However, hockey gives exposure. Everybody likes it. It is positive. It looks great, said the deputy, smiling, calm.

Hockey allows Canadians to defeat great nations. It is a strong binder. Politics is a race to get attention and the more attention you grab, the higher your chances of winning!

players room

– Your little cousin gave you a pass on the pallet, so? Yes. But at the same time we have always encouraged them. He was very young when he started playing in Major Junior, barely 100 pounds. But, in this area, we want people to get ahead of themselves. We encourage them, we tell them: “Get to the end of your dream”. Jacques Gourde’s dream was to become a federal deputy. A job he enjoys, even if it is frustrating at times, especially with thin room for deputies to maneuver.

He likens a caucus to a player’s room, where, if a teammate’s shoes are loose, he is asked to move on with it.

It should be noted that no press briefing attended the interview. Jacques Gourde believes that he is able to speak to a journalist without a mentor. Let us tell you that his love rating is visible here. People passing by told him that they were going to vote for him. One woman also claims that she is voting for Jacques Gourde, not a conservative. It is like with ie. We were for the Canadiens, but we still wanted that to win.

At this point, very smart, who can say whether it is the Blues team or the Reds team will win, because in politics hockey as it is well known, there will be none. easy.