Ahead of upcoming political activity in Dominica’s Paix Bouche and Calibishie Constituency, Christine Dupuis-Dubique, the parliamentary candidate from opposition grouping Team Unity Dominica (TUD), has laid out a people-focused policy platform centered on lifting up two of the constituency’s most critical working groups: public transport operators and small-scale fishers.
Speaking at an official TUD press briefing this week, Dupuis-Dubique framed her push for expanded support as a necessary correction to existing policies that have left key industry workers without the resources to sustain and grow their livelihoods. Her core proposal for public transport operators is a restructured, fully transparent duty-free concession program that ties benefits directly to compliance with core industry regulations.
Under her framework, only registered operators that meet strict requirements for proper licensing, valid passenger insurance, regular roadworthiness inspections and documented passenger safety protocols would qualify for the concessions — a structure she says ensures benefits go to compliant, responsible operators while raising overall service standards for the public.
Dupuis-Dubique argued that the island’s small-scale boat owners and commercial fishers, who form a backbone of the coastal constituency’s economy, deserve the same tier of targeted government support as transport operators. Beyond duty concessions for essential equipment, she is calling for sweeping reforms to expand small-scale fishers’ access to low-interest, affordable financing to purchase the safe, high-quality tools and vessels they need to operate sustainably. “Our boat owners and fishers have long powered our local economy, and they should not have to struggle to access the capital and resources they need to build lasting, successful businesses,” she said.
In addition to financial support for existing industries, Dupuis-Dubique is pushing for major investments in accessible local skills training, eliminating the burden on constituency residents of traveling long distances off-site to gain professional qualifications. She called for the immediate rollout of community-based training programs covering high-demand, local industry-relevant skills including maritime safety, commercial navigation, boat engine maintenance, hospitality services and small business management. These programs would be hosted directly in population centers across the constituency, including Bense, Anse De Mai, Anse Soldat, Calibishie and Paix Bouche, making training accessible to working residents who cannot travel for extended coursework.
Dupuis-Dubique emphasized that the Paix Bouche and Calibishie Constituency holds unique natural and economic advantages thanks to its deep, generations-long ties to both marine fisheries and coastal agriculture. These existing strengths, she argued, create a solid foundation for inclusive long-term economic growth — but that potential will remain untapped without targeted public investment in infrastructure, financial support and skills development tailored to local needs.
A further key plank of her platform calls for local hiring requirements for public and private development projects carried out within the constituency. She stressed that qualified local workers should receive first consideration for contracts and jobs generated by community projects, ensuring that economic activity within the area directly benefits the residents who live there, rather than outside contractors. “When development work comes to our communities, local people deserve the first chance to share in the benefits,” she reiterated.