Reorganization in Quebec: Dubé inherits the “monster” of Health instead of McCann

The prime minister François Legault, on Monday afternoon, during a press briefing held in the Salon rouge of the national Assembly surrounded by the six ministers involved in this redesign.

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22 June 2020 10h29

Updated at 22h48

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Reorganization in Quebec: Dubé inherits the “monster” of Health instead of McCann

Olivier Bossé

The Sun

François Legault change his trios for the next confrontation between Quebec and the COVID-19. Christian Dubé earned the position of first centre as the new minister of Health, while Danielle McCann is to be demoted to higher Education. Four other ministers see as their responsibilities changed.

“Danielle has done a lot of things over the 18 months, but there is still a lot of changes to make,” explained the prime minister Legault, Monday afternoon, during a press briefing held in the Salon rouge of the national Assembly in the company of six ministers involved in this redesign.

While Sonia LeBel inherits of the treasury Board, negotiations with the 550, 000 employees of the State and of the draft law on the acceleration of infrastructure works (no. 61) who were all formerly of Mr. Dubé, Simon Jolin-Barrette takes the place of Ms. LeBel and becomes at the age of 33 the youngest Justice minister in Quebec’s history.

READ ALSO: The chronicle of Jean-Marc Salvet: “The medicine of shock Legault”

Mr. Jolin-Barrette, him, relinquishing his post of minister of Immigration to Nadine Girault. Ms. McCann becomes minister responsible for higher Education and Jean-François Roberge will focus on Education at primary and secondary levels.

Danielle McCann “was doing the best she could with the information she had during these three months [of a pandemic]. But there was not always all the information, argues the boss. Then, we need to improve the system of information and this is the specialty of Christian Dubé. It also wants more accountability and it is important to evaluate the managers of the health network. Christian comes to complement and continue the work done by Danielle.”

“A second breath”

The department of Health and human Services is “the greatest challenge of management in Quebec, any public or private organization confused”, according to Mr. Legault. He speaks of”a second breath” necessary to the ministry of Health and social Services. Dominique Savoie will replace most Yvan Gendron, the key position of deputy minister of Health.

“It is necessary to ensure that each leader, in this great network which is a bit of a monster, is more responsible for the results. […] I asked Christian Dubé, who has a long experience in management, among others in the private sector, but also public to the Caisse de dépôt, to put her entrepreneurial skills at the service of Quebecers. […] It has to be that to our seniors, to give good services. But also to provide services in a more efficient way, and a chartered accountant, it is interested in efficiency.”

With his meekness is proverbial, and smiling, Ms. McCann was not hiding a certain disappointment. “I was coming in Health policy, it is clear. It is the prerogative of the prime minister to make a choice. I respect him a lot. I am very happy with what I have achieved in Health, but I am also very happy to take on this new mandate for higher Education’, she said.

If she has no advice to give to his successor and colleague Dubé, Ms. McCann noted that “we’re still in the pandemic, and we must prepare for the second wave. And this is a major health currently. This is not a council, it is a state of fact”.

Infographic The Sun

The first since… Legault

The last minister of Health who was not from the environment of the health was a certain François Legault, from 2002 to 2003, with the Parti québécois. MESSRS Legault and Dubé are both accountants. After him, Philippe Couillard, Yves Bolduc, Réjean Hébert, Gaétan Barrette, Danielle Mccann came to this post, four doctors and a social worker.

A ministerial reshuffle at the mid-term is predictable, but the pandemic of COVID-19 has changed the situation. Some people find difficult to change the captain to the Health full a health crisis.

“There is a pandemic that has subsided. We see, zero deaths today,” said Mr. Legault, in this first day since march 20, where Quebec does not regret any deaths linked to the COVID-19 in the last 24 hours.

“It is almost mid-term, therefore there had been almost no adjustment the cabinet. I think this is a good time, a little, to give a second wind to some departments. It is this that is referred to, then the situation is not bad to be under control in health, for the pandemic.

“Forget not that the prime minister remains the same!” was also launched by the prime minister, recalling how several decisions pass through his office, even more in a crisis situation.

Committee of recovery expanded

This is not the first time that the records of the Education and higher Education are evolving within the same ministry shared by two ministers. The liberals Sébastien Proulx and Hélène David had done the same from 2016 to 2018.

The game of musical chairs ministerial key that 6 of the 27 ministers. Nobody loses his limousine, not a newcomer promoted either.

In addition to seeing Ms. LeBel replace Mr. Dubé committee of the economic recovery, it has been expanded and a few feminized with the addition of Ms. Girault Immigration, the deputy prime minister and minister of public Safety, Genevieve Guilbault, as well as the minister of the Environment, Benoit Charette.

This committee had so far four members since its creation, all men, the ministers of Finance, of Economy, of Labour and the president of the treasury Board.

Sonia LeBel was the first woman to chair the Board of the treasury and therefore hold the purse strings of the State from Michelle Courchesne, from 2010 to 2012.

The maintenance of Blais “surprises”

Among the opposition parties, Quebec solidaire says that “the maintenance of Marguerite Blais [as the minister] to the Elders surprise many people. It should now commit to completely change its ways and deliver the goods to protect the elderly,” said Manon Massé.

The co-spokesperson for QS also wondered, “what message the government is sending by naming a financier at the head of the ministry of Health, while it has recently announced its willingness to return the budget to balance within five years? While Quebec needs to re-establish its public services, this realignment does not bode well”.

Liberal party and Parti québécois agree that the replacement of the minister of Health and his deputy minister after three months of management of pandemic demonstrates the failure of the government in its preparation for the COVID-19.

The head of the liberal Dominique Anglade noted that Ms. McCann and Mr. Gendron to become the “scapegoats” appointed by the prime minister Legault for this failure, recalling, however, as his vis-à-vis pq, Pascal Bérubé, that the poor balance of Québec for the first three months of the pandemic is not erased.

Le Soleil