Anglade says the vote of confidence granted to Arruda

Photo: Jacques Boissinot The canadian Press
In the crisis of the COVID-19, Mr. Arruda has attracted just as many congratulations as criticism.

Was it right to renew the mandate of Horacio Arruda as national director of public health and assistant deputy minister in the ministry of Health ? The Parti québécois and Québec solidaire are comfortable with the decision of the government. But for the head liberal, Dominique Anglade, too many questions remain unanswered to justify this vote of confidence.

“Dr. Arruda is a very good communicator and a respected physician, argued Wednesday the press attaché to the minister of Health, Christian Dubé. He has all our confidence, and that of Quebec. “

On these bases, the Council of ministers had endorsed the day before the appointment of Mr. Arruda for a new term of three years. Horacio Arruda holds the same positions since August 2012. Last Thursday, he said, ” want to continue to apply the public health in the context of the second wave “, if the government so wished.

In the crisis of the COVID-19, Mr. Arruda has attracted just as many congratulations as criticism. His personality spontaneous has charmed a part of Quebec in the early weeks of the pandemic.

The initial enthusiasm in its place, however, has been tempered by several folders appeared as the crisis worsened. Hesitation to recommend the wearing of the mask relative success of the screening ; tone of some of the interventions found to be in sync with the gravity of the situation ; transparency brought into doubt ; etc.

For Dominique Anglade, it is primarily the management made by Horacio Arruda upstream of the crisis, which raises questions. “I don’t have the impression that it was [much] anticipated and prepared for” the fight against the COVID-19, ” she said Wednesday in an interview.

“It took two months after [the confirmation of the first case outside of China] to put in place a crisis cell. Why ? I have not had an answer to that, ” said the one who questioned the government in the national Assembly.

“Before deciding on the renewal of the mandate of Mr. Arruda, we would have liked to know how one arrives at the result today, having answers to basic questions that are fundamental. “

It took two months after [the confirmation of the first case outside of China] to put in place a crisis cell. Why? I have not had an answer to that.

— Dominique Anglade

Transparency

The head of the official opposition believes that it “would have taken place to ensure more transparency in the process” of renewal of the mandate of the national director of public health. And the Parti québécois is in agreement on this point — while stressing that he has nothing against the choice of Horacio Arruda.

“The government has decided to extend it into a full pandemic, it was necessary, unless you have serious reasons” to do otherwise, ” says the parliamentary chief, Pascal Bérubé. Despite various criticisms over the crisis, Mr. Bérubé saw no “major reasons of change of national director of public health” at this point.

Except that it submits the fact that this appointment should not come under the Council of ministers, but rather a vote of two-thirds of the votes of the national Assembly — an idea approved by Ms. Anglade. The commissioner of UPAC (Unité permanente anti-pollution), the Chief electoral officer or the auditor general of Québec are particularly named this way.

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Pascal Bérubé is also questions on ” the independence [of Horacio Arruda] compared to the political “. It is necessary to ” reflect on [the merits] that the national director of public health is also the assistant deputy minister “, he thinks.

In the immediate future, he also wishes that Mr. Arruda “corrects the impression that he left” during his appearance on the show Tout le monde en parle, where he was asked if he had political ambitions.

“Absolutely no, he replied. But in my life, I said that I would not do certain things, and I ended by doing. So, if someone asks me, I have no political ambitions, but I’m not saying that I won’t do that, because if I say “I will not do it”, I’ll leave you with the fare… “Pascal Bérubé finds that” questions will arise if it does not close the door ” more clearly.

Beyond Arruda

For Québec solidaire (QS), the government has taken a decision “justified” by renewing the mandate of Mr. Arruda. “What is important at this moment, it is” stability, said Wednesday the congressman Sol Zanetti.

The recent changes to the head of the ministry of Health and social Services — where Christian Dubé has replaced Danielle McCann, and where it was also changed to deputy minister, were already well enough, ” he said. Add jorge to the list ” would not have been reassuring “. “It would have created instability and unwelcome “, especially in the context where a second wave of contamination could hit.

More broadly, QS believes that “regardless of the point of view that one can have on the work of Mr. Arruda, it is not necessary that it comes to overshadow the real problems that we have had in this crisis, and which date back to before the pandemic,” says Sol Zanetti.

Thus he alludes to “the austerity liberal” and different ” policies adopted over the years by governments, not by the Health of the public.” The thousands of deaths recorded in the province are the result ” under the management of the public Health of the state in which the system has had to deal with this crisis, supports Sol Zanetti. Our tendon Achilles has been revealed : the weakness of the public system and the entire system of accommodation for seniors. “

24 new deaths

The COVID-19 has caused 24 deaths in Quebec, of which 17 occurred prior to the 23 June, for a total of 5527, announced Wednesday the ministry of Health and social Services. 66 new cases were added in the last 24 hours, bringing the total cases to 55 524. Hospitalizations are down by 13. The sick of the COVID-19 monopolize 422 beds, of which 33 are in the intensive care, a decrease of 5.

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