He has worked for many years on behalf of people receiving social assistance and has sought election to the Legislative Assembly of Quebec four times.
In 1991, he accused Robert Bourassa's government of creating hunger among low-income children through program cuts that amounted to one hundred million dollars per year.
[2] In the late 1990s, Desgagnés criticized the government of Lucien Bouchard for cutting social programs in order to balance the provincial deficit.
[7] He was strongly critical of the Jean Charest government's first budget in 2003, arguing that it required welfare recipients to apply for training programs that were themselves being cut.
"[10] Desgagnés condemned a 2003 Supreme Court of Canada decision that allowed the Quebec government to pay less than minimum wage to people on social assistance programs.
[17] Option citoyenne later merged into Québec solidaire, and Desgagnés ran under that party's banner in the 2007 and 2008 provincial elections.