Jean Rousselle has lived in Vimont since he was eight years old. As he was always very involved in his community, it was only natural that he turned to provincial politics with the Liberal Party in 2012. Here’s an overview of his career to date along with his achievements.

An Involved Citizen
Rousselle has always volunteered within the Vimont community. His desire to give back was passed down to him from his father, who was the President of Loisirs St-Bruno in Laval. Giving back to others, especially his fellow citizens, was what drew him to his first career path. Rousselle served as a police officer with the Laval Police Service for more than 30 years, eventually filling the role of Vice-President of Finance for the Laval Police Fraternity, followed by Team Leader for donor countries and managing the Welcome and Departure Committee for the United Nations for Haiti, all while also taking the role of President for the Kidney Foundation of Canada.

While in retirement, it was thanks to his professional experience, community involvement and vast knowledge of organizations in Vimont-Auteil that the Liberal Party took notice and asked him to get involved with provincial politics. He was elected in 2012 as MNA for Vimont and began his first experiences at the National Assembly. He was re-elected in 2014 and in 2018. Given his valuable experience with the Laval Police Service, he is currently the Official Opposition Critic for Public Safety.

Listening to the Public
What Rousselle enjoys the most about being an MNA is working with people and meeting groups and organizations that respond to the needs of Vimont residents in their everyday lives. He says as an elected official, it’s important to always listen to the public’s needs in order to best represent them. “I’ve lived in Vimont a long time. To give you an idea of how well I know the area, I used to patrol it as a police officer. If you tell me what house you live at, I can tell you exactly where it’s situated and how close to which intersection,” muses Rousselle. “Even so, over the years the needs of residents have changed, and the population has changed too. You always need to stay afloat with their needs by staying connected, understanding their needs and bringing that to the National Assembly.”

Concrete Achievements
When reflecting on the achievements that he is the proudest of, Rousselle notes some larger projects, such as the announcement of the highway 19 extension, but he is also prouder of smaller but equally concrete achievements, such the construction of a playground for École Ulric-Debien, where students previously didn’t have access to playground equipment in their yard or at a nearby park. He also points to the annual Christmas baskets campaign that his office organizes in collaboration with Provigo Boulianne. These are the efforts that have a real, concrete impact on citizens’ daily lives.

Ongoing Projects & The Future
In the context of public safety, Rousselle aims to continue work on two large issues: prostitution and street gangs. In combatting prostitution, he would like to put forth solutions to support victims but also work on changing public perception around prostitution. “People who fall into the cycle of prostitution don’t do it by choice; there are victims that need our help,” he says.

As for street gangs, Rousselle places the focus on prevention. “When we talk about street gangs, we have to push farther. We need to turn our attention to school service centres/school boards and local organizations. When a young person drops out of school, we have to intervene quickly and support him/her, because that is a very vulnerable time in their life,” says Rousselle. “We have to get them involved with something, whether it’s back at school, into sports or through another activity with a local organization. This is why it’s essential to meet with the youth, see their work and understand their needs so that they get the necessary support. This will help us find long-term solutions.”

Rousselle believes in the power of a collective community. “It takes a village to raise a child, and it takes the entire population for a good quality of life. That’s what I aspire for my riding of Vimont-Auteuil,” he concludes.