Representing a suburban riding of young families, businesses and community organizations, Auguste says her priorities include youth prevention, housing affordability and supporting local organizations and businesses.
Auguste officially received her Concordia degree while serving as an MP.
Auguste also credits her economics degree with helping prepare her for public life. A course on writing briefing notes, in particular, has proved useful in her role as a parliamentarian. She says her economics background also provides a foundation for understanding policy discussions around issues such as supply, demand and affordability.
Today, Auguste serves on the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs and the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage. She is also vice-chair of the Canadian branch of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie.
Representing a suburban riding of young families, businesses and community organizations, Auguste says her priorities include youth prevention, housing affordability and supporting local organizations and businesses.
“There are seven industrial parks in Terrebonne, with a lot of great industries and small and medium-sized businesses that need to thrive,” she says. “With what’s going on right now with the U.S., one of my priorities is to help them weather that uncertainty as best as I can.”
As a member of Montreal’s Haitian community, Auguste is also aware of the importance of representation in public life. She hopes her own path encourages young people to pursue opportunities beyond traditional expectations.
“We don’t all have to be doctors or lawyers or politicians,” she says. “We can move away from that and we can be very successful. The more role models we have, from all walks of life, the stronger our communities will be.”
Auguste believes there is still work to do to ensure Parliament better reflects Canada’s diversity.
“If we look at the representation of Black Canadians in Parliament compared to the proportion of the population that is Black, we’re not there yet,” she says. “Political parties have to do more to help more young candidates, more women and more people of colour enter politics and public service.”