Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagne, Bloc MP and new mom, ready for first foray into federal politics
As a new MP in the House of Commons, Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagne has had a busy few weeks learning the ins and outs of the new job.
Tack on that she had a baby boy just days before the election -- her first child -- and the fall of 2021 has proven to be a whirlwind for the 33-year-old representative for Terrebonne, Que., north of Montreal.
“It was pretty stressful, and on the other hand, I didn't pick the date of the election and neither did I pick the date where he would come out,” she said in a recent interview by video chat. “When it did happen, of course it's overwhelming to learn how to be an MP at the same time as you're learning how to be a mother, but at the same time, it's something that I got along with.”
While tending to a newborn baby, Sinclair-Desgagne won the seat for the Bloc Quebecois with 41.1 per cent of the vote. Sinclair-Desgagne had taken over as the Bloc representative for Terrebonne from incumbent MP Michel Boudrias, who ran as an independent in 2021.
In what has been a busy few months, Sinclair-Desgagne added that the internal pressure is on to prove that she can handle being an MP and a new mom at the same time.
“What I really want to avoid is to do both in a poor way,” she said. “I'm focusing on trying to be a really good MP and learning the tricks of it while also learning to be a mother, but it's so far so good. I'm lucky I have a really good baby.”
Sinclair-Desgagneis one of the 50 rookie MPs elected in the 2021 federal election. CTVNews.ca is profiling five -- one from each party with a seat in the Commons -- in the lead-up to the first sitting day of the 44th Parliament.
Beginning at a young age, Sinclair-Desgagne was interested in politics. Her grandfather ran for the provincial Parti Quebecois in the 1970s, and she also founded the sovereigntist cell at McGill University while working towards an economics degree.
After McGill, Sinclair-Desgagne went to Oxford University to study for a masters in Environmental Change and Management, before working at PricewaterhouseCoopers and Deloitte.
“I worked a few years in Europe before coming back to Montreal and when I came back, I realized it was already a different Montreal that I left 10 years later, and I started feeling that I had to be more involved,” she said. “I had to contribute more to my community, and there were some changes that I would like to be part of.”
Newly-elected Bloc Quebecois member of Parliament Nathalie Sinclair Desgagne joins Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet as they hold a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Before joining federal politics, Sinclair-Desgagne worked for the City of Montreal as a senior economic advisor. In a statement, the City of Montreal said Sinclair-Desgagne had a hand in achieving its “ambitious environmental goals” by “rethinking Montreal's tax and pricing system” to help with the city’s climate plan.
“She worked with a diverse team (engineers, architects, biologists, sociologists, etc.) committed to the ecological transition,” a spokesperson for the city said in an email, translated from French.
One of Sinclair-Desgagne’s files in the House of Commons concerns pandemic programs. She hopes to see these programs focused more on supporting small businesses, which she believes have had the opposite effect in some cases.
“One thing I'd like to see is more targeted initiatives and programs for entrepreneurs, for businesspeople. I think they've received a lot of help, but actually some of the help was counterproductive,” she said. “The wage subsidy is one thing, but then on the other hand, the individual help that some people are receiving is actually making the shortage of workers even worse.”
Sinclair-Desgagne joins a Bloc Quebecois caucus of 32 representatives, the same number compared to the 2019 election, but a significant increase since the 2015 election.
“As long as Quebec needs to have a voice in Ottawa, then I hope the Bloc does well and I think right now the Bloc is doing well because they feel like their voice is not being heard,” she said.
When it comes to her community, Sinclair-Desgagne hopes to put her economics background to use and grow the industry of Terrebonne, where about half of residents either work in business and finance, sales and services or the trades, according to Statistics Canada,
“I'm proud that I've been elected MP in Terrebonne and Terrebonne is actually a constituency that's full of entrepreneurs and business people,” she said. “If I can continue with my background and I've worked a lot with businesses in the last 10 years. I've seen start ups to two multinationals and if I can help and contribute with my background, that's exactly what I want to do.”
IN DEPTH
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
'Democracy requires constant vigilance' Trudeau testifies at inquiry into foreign election interference in Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes, following a day of testimony from top cabinet ministers about allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.
Local Spotlight
'Love has no boundaries': Sask. couple in their 90s and 80s get married
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
Twin Alberta Ballet dancers retire after 15 years with company
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
Video shows gaggle of geese stopping traffic on Highway 1 near Vancouver
A mother goose and her goslings caused a bit of a traffic jam on a busy stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Vancouver Saturday.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
Here's how one of Sask.'s largest power plants was knocked out for 73 days, and what it took to fix it
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
Quebec police officer anonymously donates kidney, changes schoolteacher's life
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Canada's oldest hat store still going strong after 90 years
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Road closed in Oak Bay, B.C., so elephant seal can cross
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.