My guest this week is Greg Kelley. He is a Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for the riding of Jacques-Cartier. He also happens to be the Official Opposition Critic for Relations with English-Speaking Quebecers and for Indigenous Affairs, two files that have kept him busy and quite solicited these last months. On this episode he gives his take on Bill 96, which proposes new amendments to Quebec’s Charter of the French language, systemic racism in Quebec and particularly towards indigenous groups and much more! I hope you enjoy this conversation!

My guest this week is Christopher Skeete. He is a Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for the riding of St-Rose, a district in the northern part of the city of Laval. He also happens to be the Parliamentary Assistant to Quebec Premier, François Legault, for Relations with English-Speaking Quebecers and, very recently, he was appointed Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister Responsible for the Fight Against Racism, a newly created government department. On this episode we talk about some of the hottest political topics that have spurred much debate on the Hill, such as Bill 96, which proposes new amendments to Quebec’s Charter of the French language, Bill 21, which has been coined Quebec’s secularism bill and much more! I hope you enjoy this conversation!

Mon invitée aujourd’hui est Dominique Anglade, la cheffe du Parti libéral du Québec. C’est la deuxième fois qu’elle accepte mon invitation, mais cette fois-ci, nous mettons un peu la politique de côté afin de discuter de son nouveau livre, Ce Québec qui m’habite. C’est un livre dans lequel elle raconte l’histoire d’une fille d’immigrants, son parcours et ses multiples accomplissements dont, bien évidemment, son ascension comme première femme d’une minorité visible à diriger un grand parti politique en Amérique du Nord. Nous discutons de tout cela et bien plus! Bon podcast tout le monde!

Bonjour tout le monde et bienvenue à un autre épisode francophone du Backstage Podcast. Mon invité cette semaine est un ami de longue date. En fait, il est parmi les premières personnes que j’ai rencontrées quand j’ai fait mon entrée dans le monde de la politique. Winston Chan est une des personnes les plus impliquées dans toutes les sphères de notre société, que ce soit socialement, en politique, en affaires, au niveau de la culture et des arts et biens d’autres. Il est partout et il connaît littéralement tout le monde, il aime tout le monde et il est aimé par tout le monde. C’est pourquoi j’ai ressenti le besoin d’échanger avec lui suite à tous ces récents événements racistes auxquels font face de nombreux canadiens d’origine chinoise. Il va sans dire que la pandémie qui afflige le monde entier n’est pas chose facile pour personne. Mais il y a des groupes dans notre société qui sont affectés beaucoup plus que d’autres. La communauté chinoise est un de ces groupes et dans cet épisode, nous discutons de ces actes de violence envers les chinois, ce qui est fait pour sensibiliser nos leaders, le futur des commerces chinois et plus précisément le Quartier chinois et bien plus!

Bon balado tout le monde!

My guest this week is Adam Scotti. Perhaps that name doesn’t tell you much, but I can assure you that you’ve seen his work and you’ve most certainly been impressed! Adam is the guy behind almost every official picture of Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau. He is an exceptionally talented photographer who, through his unique style, keeps setting the bar higher and sets the example among his peers. On this episode we talk about his incredible journey as well as all things photography and politics. We also go over some of his favorite pictures over the years while he shares the stories hidden behind them. I hope you enjoy this conversation!

My guest this week is an old friend from college. Aram was that kid that everyone wanted to hang out with because of his loyalty, his kindness and his constant good humor. That’s not to say though that he didn’t get into his share of trouble, which also seemed to be quite constant! Somehow, we completely disconnected after college but I always wondered what he was up to and how his life progressed. Thankfully, with the help of social media I connected with him again sometime last year and was in awe when I noticed that he was involved with a chimpanzee sanctuary in Sierra Leone, Africa. At first, I found it funny and just couldn’t understand how he could have ended up there. But as I read more on the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, its creation, its mission and its crucial contribution, I was completely intrigued! On this episode Aram shares his journey on discovering his calling and we have, quite possibly, one of the most interesting conversations about how the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary has not only saved a species, but in doing so, is completely transforming Sierra Leone into a leader in ecotourism, social development, environmental education and, more importantly, wildlife conservation. I hope you enjoy this conversation!

My guest this week is someone I met very early on during my career in politics. Evangelos Ligeros is one of the most prominent personalities in Canadian Taekwondo. He is the face behind Chong Lee Taekwondo, an institution through which Taekwondo was first introduced to Canada and founded by his father-in-law, the late Grandmaster Chong Lee, nearly 60 years ago! Evangelos is a Grandmaster 7th dan, 8 time national champion, international, US Open and Panamerican medalist and among many other achievements, he is also a World Taekwondo and Korean Martial Arts Masters Hall Of Fame recipient. He has trained and coached many athletes in becoming medalists at senior, junior and military world championships. On this episode we look back at his incredible journey, his relationship with one of the greatest martial arts mentors and his passion for preserving the school’s mission and its rightful place in our society. I hope you enjoy this conversation!

I am so excited to finally have John Parisella on the podcast. When I started working in politics, in 2007, I was almost immediately immersed in a world where legends were real. John had already and rightfully earned that title. When we talk about “The Backstage” of politics, John Parisella is most definitely the very definition of that statement! His involvement with the Quebec Liberal Party started in the late 70s as he quickly climbed the ranks to become the Party’s Director General; he has served five Quebec Liberal Party leaders among which three became Premiers; he has played a crucial role in organizing general election campaigns as well as three referendums; he has represented Quebec as Delegate General in New York and Washington DC; he is often called upon for political commentary on various media outlets; he is an author but most of all, as he likes to say, he is passionate about teaching! On this episode, we walk through this very exciting and often challenging journey as he shares his encyclopedic knowledge of Quebec politics but also some of his personal stories and thoughts. I cannot express the level of appreciation I have for him and am very grateful for his generous time. I hope you enjoy this conversation!

My guest this week is Evangelia Pavlakos. Eva and I have known each other since high school and despite the fact that we haven’t seen or spoken to each other since, I’ve been following her journey as an entrepreneur while becoming one of the most sought-after makeup artists evolving in the very competitive pop culture scene in Quebec. This achievement has been anything but easy and on this episode she shares the challenges she faced and how she put aside a successful career to pursue her passion! I hope you enjoy this conversation!

It’s very difficult to forget the day a very talented young man met with my colleagues and I with a request to provide any and all help to win his nomination as a Liberal Party of Canada candidate for the 2015 general election for the riding of Ahuntsic, in Montreal. I remember how much Anthony Di Carlo impressed us and demonstrated to us his passion for politics and his exceptional knowledge of that area he wished to represent. Which is why we were so torn when we told him that we couldn’t help or get involved strictly because of how delicate, politically, it is to throw support behind an aspiring election candidate. Unfortunately, despite the incredible local support he had worked so hard to get, he stepped aside to allow for someone else to be nominated. However, that selfless action helped to open another door which propelled him to the successful career he now has. On this episode, we talk about all that political journey, his contribution as a member of the Canadian Armed Forces, as well as the crucial work he now does at the Dallaire Institute. I hope you enjoy this conversation!