A Quebec nurse who lives in Connecticut will vote Republican in the next election, even though she has little sympathy for Donald Trump, because she wants to prevent the United States from becoming “socialist” like Quebec.
“The reason I’m not going to vote Democrat is because they’re trying to go socialist […]. They want to move the country in a direction that is more like Quebec,” explains Sophie Bélanger who lives in Suffield, a small town in Connecticut very close to Massachusetts.
It’s been more than 20 years since this 43-year-old nurse moved to the United States.
“I left Quebec to learn my trade in English. It wasn’t easy, but I ended up in Connecticut, with a higher salary and better working conditions. I stayed,” she says.
Red in a Blue State
In the streets of Suffield, it is mainly Republican signs that litter the grounds, according to Mme Bélanger, but Connecticut is expected to vote blue on November 5.
“I’m going to vote Republican. When Donald was in power, we found that the country was run in a good way,” says Sophie Bélanger, who also has a building management company.
Furthermore, the idea that Americans cannot get treatment if they do not have insurance “is not true,” believes the nurse.
Rapid health services
“If you don’t have insurance, a social worker will help you get organized,” she said. Services in hospitals in the United States are fast and efficient. You don’t wait like in Quebec.
Note that many Americans without health insurance go into debt each year to seek treatment. Some even forgo treatment because they cannot afford it.
Democratic candidate Kamala Harris has long advocated, as senator, the establishment of a public and universal health insurance plan like that of Quebec. However, this commitment does not appear in his electoral program.
Expatriate in election
- Sophie Bélanger
- 43 ans
- Suffield, Connecticut
- Nurse and entrepreneur
