{"id":32647,"date":"2025-07-22T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/residencessoleil.ca\/?p=32647"},"modified":"2025-07-23T10:02:21","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T15:02:21","slug":"entrevue-qr-ambassadeur-mission-sociale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/residencessoleil.ca\/en\/news\/entrevue-qr-ambassadeur-mission-sociale\/","title":{"rendered":"Q&A Interview \u2013 Social Mission Ambassador"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Mr. Denis Coderre puts his entire career and political ambitions aside to dedicate himself to seniors.<\/strong><\/font><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Denis Coderre has joined the large Soleil family as a Social Mission Ambassador.<\/strong>
Being a well-known public figure, this naturally raises many questions.

Here is his interview, in Q&A format, answering the questions you\u2019ve been eager to ask.

This translation comes from a discussion which took place in French.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Coderre, what motivated you to approach Les R\u00e9sidences Soleil to contribute to its social mission?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Not only do I fully share the mission of Les R\u00e9sidences Soleil<\/strong>, but we also share the same desire to support seniors\u2014just as I did for my own parents. So once I had a bit of time on my hands, I told myself I needed a new mission. I simply reached out to Mr. Savoie to offer my support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What have you decided to do with your career and political ambitions?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What matters to me is being useful. In taking on the role of Social Mission Ambassador, I\u2019m turning the page on my political and electoral life. But politics also means working for the common good\u2014talking about solidarity, improving living conditions for seniors, and respecting the \u201cgrey power.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Was stepping away from politics your own decision?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Yes, entirely\u2014and it’s also part of our agreement. When you hit 60, the natural question is: how can I keep being useful? I still believe I have much to give. My father passed away at 92, so statistically speaking, I may have 30 great years ahead. I\u2019ve said before that I was retiring, then I ran again because there were still things I wanted to accomplish. Today, I have a mission and a purpose, and that fulfills something deep inside me. In fact, if we look at Maslow\u2019s pyramid, self-esteem is at the top. For me, working with the Savoie family is about reclaiming that self-esteem.

At 60, I no longer need to engage in partisan politics. I want to use my experience to make a difference from the heart\u2014for the benefit of seniors. And let\u2019s be clear: this company is apolitical. It does not take political positions and is open to all. There is no partisan politics, but there is a form of human politics\u2014the kind that\u2019s about caring for seniors. What matters is that it\u2019s a Quebec company doing really good. A great example: in 2000, when the Savoie Family succeeded in establishing a government Credit for seniors\u2019 autonomy and home care, it wasn\u2019t an elected official who initiated it. Since then, all Quebec seniors aged 70 and over have had access to it\u2014not just Soleil residents, but everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which of your past achievements benefiting seniors make you proud?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I was Minister of Sport, where I helped provide recreation opportunities for seniors through the New Horizons program. I also served as Minister of Immigration, so I understand cultural diversity issues while respecting our community’s values.

I was an MP for 16 years and then Mayor of Montreal, where I was already actively involved with seniors. I maintained contact with 41 seniors\u2019 associations, representing about 25,000 seniors aged 65 and over in Montr\u00e9al-Nord. I was a founding member of the AQDR in Montr\u00e9al-Nord. I also launched the \u201cAge-Friendly Metropolis\u201d (MADA) program\u2014a collective initiative mobilizing municipal and community actors across Montreal’s 19 boroughs. Staying connected to people has always been at the heart of my work. I\u2019ve always enjoyed being present in the field. I\u2019ve dedicated 40 years of my life to people\u2019s well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What values guide you in your new role as Social Mission Ambassador?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Solidarity. Mutual support. Generosity.<\/strong> I\u2019m not taking anyone\u2019s place. I\u2019m not inventing anything. Everything is already in place\u2014it just needs to be supported with heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In your opinion, what are the biggest current needs of seniors?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Housing. Dignity. Community support. <\/strong>As life expectancy increases, we face new realities.

Did you know that over 85% of single-parent families consist of women living alone? We need to rebuild social ties, ensure safety, and improve quality of life. That\u2019s exactly what Les R\u00e9sidences Soleil is doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What lesser-known or urgent issues are affecting seniors’ well-being?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Many people don\u2019t know about the services they\u2019re entitled to. We need to develop a reflex: to inform and to help more concretely. It\u2019s not that the rights don\u2019t exist\u2014it\u2019s that people aren\u2019t always well informed. We need to provide the right tools. When we inform, people can find their way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you think of Mr. Savoie\u2019s vision regarding affordability for all seniors<\/strong><\/strong>?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What I admire in Mr. Savoie\u2019s philosophy is that he truly cares about low-income seniors. Everyone deserves their place in the sun. It\u2019s an extraordinary culture. And I find it deeply sincere that this all started with Mr. Savoie\u2019s father. When he built a residence for him, he wanted to provide quality of life, security, care, and above all, respect. I fully embrace this culture where we treat our parents as we would like to be treated ourselves. It was even a professional love at first sight. When you look at someone like Mr. Savoie\u2014a true builder\u2014you realize there are very few like him left, especially in Quebec.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does being a Social Mission Ambassador mean to you?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It means being part of a team, a collective movement.\u00a0Coluche once said : \u201cLife will put stones in your path, it’s up to you whether you make a wall or a bridge out of them.\u201d As for me, I want to make a real contribution. I’ve always strived to build bridges throughout my public career. I intend to continue in the same vein as Social Mission Ambassador with Les R\u00e9sidences Soleil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What message would you like to share with seniors?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Help me help you: tell me what you need. There\u2019s always a solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you could sum up your commitment in one sentence, what would it be?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To serve people, to do good, and to genuinely be able to do it here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Questions? Comments?<\/strong> <\/font><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

info@residencessoleil.ca<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mr. Denis Coderre puts his entire career and political ambitions aside to dedicate himself to seniors. Mr. Denis Coderre has joined the large Soleil family as a Social Mission Ambassador.Being a well-known public figure, this naturally raises many questions. Here is his interview, in Q&A format, answering the questions you\u2019ve been eager to ask. This …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":32616,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"31666,1639,1698,18473,28069,1672","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[44,46],"tags":[],"global_category":[],"class_list":["post-32647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nouveaute","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/residencessoleil.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/residencessoleil.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/residencessoleil.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/residencessoleil.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/residencessoleil.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32647"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/residencessoleil.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32647\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32736,"href":"https:\/\/residencessoleil.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32647\/revisions\/32736"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/residencessoleil.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32616"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/residencessoleil.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/residencessoleil.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/residencessoleil.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32647"},{"taxonomy":"global_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/residencessoleil.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/global_category?post=32647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}