Monique Sauvé is the Parliamentary Assistant tothe Minister of Employment and Social Solidarity,Member of the Office of the National Assemblyand Deputy of Fabre since 2015.

An Entrepreneur Through and Through
As an elementary and high school student, Sauvé was extremely shy. Raising her hand in class made her blush intensely. In university, she became more comfortable with public speaking. Sauvé says her parents were a big support to her and a source of inspiration. “My father was an entrepreneur. He built his business from the ground up,” she says. “He was hard-working and showed me that being an entrepreneur wasn’t easy, but very satisfying.”

Sauvé’s mother was interested in literature and the arts. “I could talk to her about anything. She was interested in everything, especially people,” says Sauvé. “My parents passed down good values.”

Even from a very young age, Sauvé knew she wanted to help people. “I didn’t quite know how to express it at the time or what line of work it would be, but I knew I wanted to help people, especially children who were victims of violence,” she says.

Sauvé entered the entrepreneurial world at 27 years old. In 1987, she founded Personnel Métro, a recruitment agency for office workers. “Rather than making cold calls, I would go to the businesses in person and ask them to tell me about their business. I would often be told that I was the only one to approach it that way,” she says. “Those were great learning experiences.” Passionate about helping youth, she began to give workshops to combat school dropout rates. “I noticed that there were a lot of young people really trying to better themselves,” she says. In 1997, she founded Carrefour jeuneusse-emploi de Laval in just a month and a half. Her goal was to promote the employability of Laval youth aged 16 to 35, and to develop the workforce for this demographic. She worked as an administrator there for 18 years, while also taking on the role of President of the Réseau des Carrefours Jeunesse-emploi du Québec for several years as well.

Balancing Act
Having lived in Laval for 25 years, Sauvé enjoys spending time at Place publique de Sainte-Dorothée. Centre de la nature and the Berge aux Quatre-Vents are among some of her favourite places around the city.

When she first founded Carrefour jeuneusse-emploide Laval her son was only two years old. “It wasn’t easy. In order to be home in the evenings, I didn’t go to the 5 à 7 events. Instead, I would meet partners during lunch hour,” she explains. Though her son is now 23 years old, the pair still make time to watch a film together or have a bite to eat. “Those moments are really precious to me,” she says. In her free time, Sauvé enjoys watching American television shows, reading novels, drawing and playing piano.

More than Politics
Sauvé has been the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Employment and Social Solidarity since 2016. One of her proudest moments to date is an initiative called Le coeur n’a pas d’âge. Its aim is to promote dialogue and equality amongst different generations, particularly by sensitizing youth to the daily life experiences of the elderly and breaking the isolation of the aging population. “I was thrilled to learn that this project has been included in the Quebec Government’s 2018-2019 budget,” says Sauvé.

Currently, Sauvé is working on several important projects, such as combatting poverty and the lack of qualified labour in the workforce. “We want to make it possible for individuals with special needs to integrate the workforce and have an active lifestyle,” she says. “We also want to improve the integration of immigrants to the workforce.”

She hopes to be remembered for her work on the ground as an agent of change. “I’m always listening to the needs of the citizens. I’m their messenger and I make sure that their needs are being heard in Quebec City,” she says.

Whether at her local office or at Parliament, Sauvé strives, along with her team, to serve the citizens of Fabre.

Translation by Lisa Cipriani