Marc Damant is running for the Quebec Conservative party Marc Damant is the Quebec Conservative party in Ungava for the Oct. 5 provincial election. The Kuujjuaq resident works as an airport manager for the regional government. (Photo courtesy of the Quebec Conservative party)
Quebec Conservative Marc Damant says Nunavik needs a local MNA
Candidate said previous Ungava representatives haven’t paid enough attention to northern region
Nunatsiaq News reached out to each candidate running in the Ungava riding ahead of Quebec’s Oct. 5 provincial election. Here’s what Quebec Conservative party candidate Marc Damant had to share with us.
Marc Damant says he wants to represent Ungava because Nunavik needs a local representative in the Quebec national assembly.
“I think it’s time that Nunavik had someone who was more of a full-time MNA,” said Damant, who lives in Kuujjuaq and is the Quebec Conservative party’s candidate in the Oct. 5 provincial election.
He said that previous MNAs didn’t enough of an interest in the region, and that people feel like they don’t matter.
While he acknowledged logistical and financial challenges make it difficult for candidates to visit Nunavik’s villages, he said nothing beats face-to-face conversation with electors.
“We have to do better for everyone,” said Damant, adding he’s the only candidate with posters up in Kuujjuaq right now.
Damant works as an airport manager for the Kativik Regional Government, where he’s responsible for airport operations and safety for multiple communities across Nunavik. From 2007 to 2014, he was a grounds operations co-ordinator for Air Inuit, a role that allowed him to travel across Nunavik.
He also spent 11 years as a reservist in the Canadian Armed Forces and previously taught in China, Akulivik and La Tabatiere, Que. From 2010 to 2011, he was the president of the federal Conservative chapter in his riding of Lac-Saint-Louis, which represents Montreal’s West-Island, where Damant is from.
He said the Conservative party is a solid choice for federalists who want to pay less in taxes and to reduce government expenditures.
The party is promising to abolish taxes on carbon and used goods and to raise the amount citizens can earn without paying taxes from $19,000 to $35,242 by 2030. It’s also promising to reduce government spending by $47 billion over five years, by cutting public sector jobs, for example.
The party also wants to prioritize Quebec’s natural resources, he said, adding consultation is an important step in that development.
“We’re big on bringing our natural resources to market,” he said.
Damant is among five candidates running for Ungava in Quebec’s provincial election. Advance polls have been open since Saturday and will stay open until Wednesday. Election day is on Monday, Oct. 5.
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