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Q: But that’s a complicated, wide-ranging change. Do you think the country’s ready for that?

A: It depends how you address it. The proposal I bring forth is something that can be done through the tax system, the same way we are currently providing for the child benefit or the guaranteed income supplement, which are their own, targeted forms of basic income. So this is the difference between my proposal and what’s being proposed by other parties, like the pilot program in Ontario. It’s more of a complement to what we have right now, in terms of a social safety net, than a replacement.

Q: Do you believe the NDP hasn’t been taken seriously on economic issues? Is that why this has been your focus?

A: I would say yes. For the last 50 years, we’ve been labelled as tax-and-spend by Liberals and Conservatives. And we never really efficiently pushed back on those labels. We need to push back. We need to bring about that credibility that is lacking, that will bring the trust of Canadians to us. And through that trust we can gain their hearts. This is the challenge, trying to get that trust and get that credibility.

Photo by Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press file photo

Q: The other obvious thing that you bring is that you’re a Quebec MP. None of the others are. But is being a Quebecer enough to appeal to the rest of the country?

A: It’s being a Quebecer. It’s also being a Quebecer that understands the rest of the country. I would say that I’m able to bring forth the ability to unite Quebec and the rest of the country. I spent half my life living in a (rural) region, half my life living in urban Canada, so I can unite both sides. You’re right to say that we have a challenge in terms of strengthening our roots in Quebec, but they are there. I’d like to point out that in what’s widely seen as a bad election back in 2015, we still managed to elect 16 members of Parliament, we still managed to get 25 per cent of the vote. We still managed to be the second (party) in Quebec. And even in the last polls, we’re still the second party in Quebec, behind the Liberals. So I do believe that we have those roots. The challenge is to ensure that we can use that base and strengthen for the next election, and I do believe I’m the right person for this. The path to victory for the NDP in 2019 will have to go through Quebec.