Quebec Liberal Sandrine Rioux prioritizes health care, housing, cost of living

Nunatsiaq News reached out to each candidate running in the Ungava riding ahead of Quebec’s Oct. 5 provincial election. Here’s what Quebec Liberal Party candidate Sandrine Rioux had to share with us.

Quebec Liberal Party candidate Sandrine Rioux said the reason she decided to run for office is simple: she wants to help people.

“My main goal is to help people, to be there, to be present, and to write good legislation at the National Assembly of Quebec,” said Rioux, speaking to Nunatsiaq News Tuesday from Chibougimou, where she was born and raised.

She’s among five candidates running in Ungava, the largest riding in the province geographically.

Her main priorities are improving access to health care, constructing more homes, addressing the cost of living and ensuring profits generated from resource development benefit communities.

Her party has a goal of building 100,000 homes per year in Quebec, she said, and wants to implement deadlines for housing authorities to encourage quicker development.

Each community, no matter how remote, should have a baseline 24-7 access to front-line health care services like doctors, nurses and pharmacists, she said. Telemedicine can fill gaps when specialists aren’t available.

At least five per cent of Quebec’s health budget should be dedicated to prevention, she said, and if elected, she wants to reduce Nunavik’s reliance on fly-in-fly-out health-care professionals.

Rioux has been involved with the Liberal party since 2019 and was president of its Ungava association.

She has a degree in business technology management from Université de Sherbrooke and a professional background in business analysis and marketing.

But she always held an interest in politics, she said, working for Élections Québec during the 2018 provincial election as an administrative assistant. It was one of her first jobs out of university and one that allowed her to visit each of Nunavik’s villages.

So far during the campaign, Rioux has visited Chapais, Chisasibi, Oujé-Bougoumou, Matagami, Mistissini, Radison, Waskaganish and Waswanipi. Travelling to Nunavik isn’t in the budget, but she said Kuujjuaq is first on her list if she gets elected.

“I really genuinely hope, if the people trust me, and invest in me, to be able to represent them at the National Assembly,” she said. “I want to make sure the lines of communication are always open.”