OTTAWA — Newbie senator and former hockey coach Jacques Demers says he finds the Senate boring and childish at times, but it’s still a place where he hopes to make a difference.

“Sometimes it’s boring. Is it always boring? No, because I try to listen to what everyone is saying, but sometimes there are really uninteresting comments — from both Liberal and Conservative sides,” Demers told Sun Media in a year-end interview.

There are bright accomplished individuals who act like children — who fight, try to talk over each other and make biting retorts, Demers said.

“At times, I’m sitting there and I can’t believe what people are saying — I can’t believe I’m hearing these stupidities.”

Demers admits, at first, he wasn’t certain he wanted the job.

“I didn’t see myself in this role,” he said.

“The more time I spend in the chamber, the more I realize that I can learn a lot and I feel more confident than ever I can prove to others I can be a good senator.”

Demers is still concerned with proving his skeptics wrong.

He says he’s been careful to only pronounce himself on topics he knows about – his first intervention was about the Montreal Canadiens.

He said he is trying to absorb as much as he can and when he feels he has the knowledge base, he hopes to make more contributions. He is particularly concerned with violence against women.

“It’s only been four months, I’m still young at this game. There are a lot of things that fly over my head — things move quickly,” he explained.

Demers said he is also gauging the limits of what he can say.

“I know people are watching me,” he said. “I am careful not to make any missteps or say something I’m going to regret.”

He considers his new Conservative colleagues his teammates and he wants to be a good team player.

“Maybe one day I’ll have different opinions and I’ll see how they’ll react,” he said. “For the most part, I don’t know these people...I feel accepted, I feel like I belong with them, but at some point, I’m pretty bullheaded and usually say what I think, which can often land you in trouble...but that’s me. I don’t want to be politically correct.”

Demers said he sees “Yes Men” in both political parties and doesn’t want to become one of them.

This fall, Demers supported a Liberal bill that would remove lottery terminals from bars and restaurants, but he abstained from voting in favour of it. Liberal Sen. Jean Lapointe said Demers was trying not to make “enemies” in his party.

Despite earlier saying he wouldn’t campaign for the Conservatives, Demers helped Tory MP Bernard Genereux in November’s byelection in Montmagny—L’Islet—Kamouraska—Rivičre-du-Loup, taping audio messages in support of his candidacy.

“I’ve learned politics is a lot harder than winning a hockey game,” Demers said. “And I’ve learned I knew nothing in politics.”

althia.raj@sunmedia.ca