Sephardi ex-journalist is third Tory hopeful in Mount Royal

Pascale Déry, seen with husband Eric Castro and their son Sacha, is welcomed by Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney, right. JANICE ARNOLD PHOTO

MONTREAL — Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney introduced Mount Royal Conservative candidate hopeful Pascale Déry as a member of a younger generation whom his party would like to see representing Montreal in the government.

Déry described herself as “the new face of Conservatism,” which she hopes will help change the party’s image in Quebec.

Déry, 38, a political newcomer who was a journalist for 13 years with the French-language television networks TVA and LCN, officially launched her bid for the Conservative nomination on Jan. 21 at a Côte des Neiges community centre.

She is the third prominent Conservative hopeful in Mount Royal, which has been Liberal for 75 years, in the federal election that’s expected to be held on Oct. 19. Political veterans Robert Libman, 54, and Beryl Wajsman, 60, announced their intentions this past fall.

Neither received the kind of high-level endorsement from the party that Déry is enjoying. At least three members of the party executive were among the approximately 200 people who attended her kickoff.

Several prominent members of the Sephardi community, of which Déry is a member, were also present, including Sylvain Abitbol, president of the Communauté Sépharade unifiée du Québec.

Déry stressed that while the Jewish community is a strong component of the riding, Mount Royal has changed, and many ethnic and religious groups, including the Lebanese, Filipinos and Muslims, now call it home. Her audience reflected that multicultural composition.

Déry, a Côte St. Luc resident, said it was a difficult decision to resign from her prominent TV job and, as the mother of two young children, to enter politics.

“Some might say I am taking a big risk,” she said. “Yes, but it is a risk worth taking.”

The fact that she is a woman and a mother is a major factor in her decision, she said. The Conservatives are devoted to the economy and creating employment and to supporting families, and that’s important for Mount Royal, because it’s not the “rich riding” many perceive, she said.

“There is also a lot of inequality. The best way out of poverty is to have a job,” Déry said.

Under Prime Minister Stephen Harper, she said, “Canada is recognized around the world as a model of economic and social development.”

Touching on foreign policy, Déry said, “It is not surprising that Canada stands shoulder to shoulder with Israel. This should not be a surprise to anyone because our countries are built on the same values.”

She noted that 20 per cent of Israel’s population is Muslim.

She later told the media that, although she is proudly Jewish and admires Harper’s pro-Israel stance, “that is not the only reason I am running.”

Jews represent about 30 per cent of the riding’s population, she said, and there is great diversity among the rest.

Asked how she’ll overcame the fact that she’s not well known among anglophones, Déry said “We can’t have these language barriers anymore.”

She said the party needs “new blood” in Quebec, where it holds only five seats and none on the Island of Montreal. Her lack of past political involvement is an asset, she believes.

Blaney, who represents the Quebec City area riding of Lévis-Bellechasse, said he hopes to see Déry serving “in the heart of government… We need to put Montreal back at the centre of decision-making.”

Déry said she is prepared to debate her more politically experienced opponents. Libman is a former Côte St. Luc mayor and Montreal executive committee member, and earlier was leader and MNA for the Equality Party. Wajsman, a newspaper editor, is a former federal Liberal organizer and was executive assistant to current Mount Royal MP Irwin Cotler.

Anthony Housefather, who was chosen as the Mount Royal Liberal candidate in November, said he would rather have Déry than Libman as his opponent, because he thinks her low profile among anglophones is a disadvantage. According to his figures, 78 per cent of the riding is primarily English speaking.

On hand to support Déry was her father William Déry, who in 1984, then a leader in the Sephardi community, unsuccessfully sought the Liberal nomination in Mount Royal. He noted that he was also 38 then. A few years later, he tried and failed to secure the Liberal nomination in St. Laurent.