Mr. Speaker, one of the greatest defenders of the Prime Minister of Canada in Shawinigan is the local Parti Quebecois MNA Claude Pinard, who, in an interview with Vincent Marissal of La Presse , stated the following:
The Prime Minister of Canada is doing his duty as the MP for Saint-Maurice. He is backing projects, answering requests, bringing in money. The federal government is one of the stakeholders in regional affairs, and I work along with all stakeholders.
It is true that the Parti Quebecois MNA seems to get along pretty well with his federal counterpart. They will, of course, never be the best of friends, but the two sides do get along in Shawinigan far better than in most ridings with a Bloc Quebecois and/or Parti Quebecois representative.