Benjamin Segobaetso – Local Journalism Initiative
Published online September 9, 2026, at www.pontiacjournal.com
PONTIAC – Pontiac’s proximity to Ontario has shaped some of its most persistent challenges: health-care workers can cross the river for better-paying jobs, young people have limited options for studying close to home, and local businesses operate in an economy tied to markets beyond Quebec.
André Fortin, the Liberal incumbent seeking another term as Pontiac’s MNA, is making those challenges a central argument of his campaign. Responding to Pontiac Journal questionnaires sent to all announced candidates, Fortin proposed matching Ontario salaries for health-care workers, easing restrictions on English-language education and providing greater support to businesses affected by U.S. tariffs.
Fortin said a Liberal government would give public health-care professionals in the Outaouais salaries equivalent to their Ontario counterparts, arguing that recruiting more workers is essential to restoring services. “We must make better use of our operating rooms in the Pontiac, offer improved availability of mental health services and reopen the Obstetrics unit that was closed by the CAQ government,” Fortin said. He also called for more long-term care beds and a public tele-health platform allowing patients to consult doctors, nurses and nurse practitioners for routine needs.
On the economy, Fortin said Quebec should convert 25 per cent of tariff-relief loans into grants for viable businesses experiencing short-term difficulties because of the Canada-U.S. trade dispute. “Our small, local businesses need support throughout all this, not just increased debt,” he said. Fortin was particularly critical of Quebec’s forestry policies, arguing the regulatory system increases costs and makes planning timber supplies, staffing
and forestry roads more difficult. He also proposed tax relief for small businesses, greater provincial purchasing of Quebec and Canadian products and assistance in finding markets outside the United States. He pledged to protect supply management for dairy farmers and identified eliminating interprovincial trade barriers as a priority.
Education and language policy provide another dividing line between Fortin and the CAQ. Fortin opposes restricting francophone students from attending English-language adult education and vocational programs, warning reduced enrolment could make programs difficult to sustain.
He also wants enrolment caps affecting Heritage College removed and argued Bill 96 restrictions have made it more difficult for the college to offer programs in Pontiac, including nursing.
He warned that restricting English-language post-secondary opportunities could encourage Anglophone students to pursue their education outside Quebec and make it harder to retain young people in the region.
Fortin also criticized the controversy surrounding LaSalle College, arguing adults should be able to choose their educational institution regardless of language. Asked about aging school infrastructure, transportation distances and teacher recruitment, Fortin called for an
education summit before major reforms and said front-line education professionals should have a greater role in decision-making. He also pledged to protect education
spending, including services provided by psychologists, speech-language pathologists and special-education professionals.
Photo: André Fortin brigue un nouveau mandat de député provincial de Pontiac