The challenges of François Legault

Photo: Jacques Boissinot The canadian Press
Several ministers criticized over the last months will remain.

Treasure – ” passage way “

The government Legault wanted to wrap up the negotiations in the public sector in June, but by changing the player it postpones maturity. The new president of the treasury Board, Sonia LeBel, however, has little time to adapt. The prime minister François Legault has already promised a wage of $ 26 an hour in the future orderlies in NURSING homes currently in training.

“We can imagine that we are going to have agreed to a collective agreement in September because, otherwise, it’s going to be a problem,” argued the president of the Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec, Daniel Boyer. The CSN hopes that Mrs. LeBel will be open to the discussion ” without politicizing excessive bargaining in the public sector “.

The appointment of Sonia LeBel it announced a change of tone in the negotiations ? When The Duty has raised the question in the press conference, his predecessor, Christian Dubé, replied yes, off the record, eliciting the laughter of his colleagues. “It is important that there is agreement and what is not [in climbing] into the posts that we will be able to speak, so I expect it was a collaboration of the unions, and then we advance to the Quebec “, stated the minister.

Sonia LeBel also inherits another important issue that Christian Dubé has not been able to carry out : the draft law on the economic recovery. The prime minister Legault said that he expected the bill to be enhanced this fall to accelerate the construction of approximately 200 projects in Quebec, “leaving no room for corruption” or to ” compromise on the side of the environment.”

The ex-chief prosecutor of the Charbonneau commission will therefore try to find “passages” to get there. “We had already ruled out a lot of things that were problematic, including among others the famous article 50, she recalled. We are currently reworking the article 50.1. “Article 50 allowed the government to circumvent the rules normally applicable to management of public contracts. Article 50.1 provided for the same thing to the municipalities.

Mylène Crête

  Health – Maneuver the ship

“As a surprise, it is successful ! “Jeff Begley, president of the Fédération de la santé et des services sociaux (FSSS–CSN), was far from expecting such a ministerial reshuffle. “In the midst of a pandemic, it seems to me curious,” he said.

Jeff Begley welcomes the work of the former minister of Health and social Services, Danielle McCann. “I had concerns with certain ways of doing things, he adds. But there was listening. “

As for the new minister, Christian Dubé, the FSSS-CSN ” gives the chance to the rider “. “We’re going to hope that there is not a return to the way Bar,” said Jeff Begley.

Same reaction on the side of the Alliance’s professional and technical staff of the health and social services (APTS). “We don’t want to go back to do manage it as a private company, said its president, Andrée Poirier. We do not want to bear the costs of the recession related to the pandemic. “

The new minister will face a number of challenges. The captain of the ship, the health could face a second wave of COVID-19 as early as this fall. The pandemic has revealed several common pitfalls.

The health network is ” a highly bureaucratized and centralized “, a “legacy” of the former minister of Health, Dr. Gaétan Barrette, says David Levine, former president-director general of the Agency of health and social services of Montreal.

“The minister and the deputy minister will review the current structure, he thinks. Is it the most effective ? It has removed a lot of autonomy and creativity for the workers. “

The Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec (FIQ) believes that Christian Dubé must, in particular, to change the ratios for professionals, patients. “When the number of professionals on a shift corresponds to the needs of the patients, it makes all the difference,” says the president, Nancy Bédard.

It emphasizes that the full-time positions remain vacant, because the employees live with an overload of daily work.

David Levine believes that Christian Dubé must also examine the difference of the salary between the beneficiary attendants in CHSLDS (they will win 49 000 $) and those working elsewhere. “A person in a hospital who helps a patient with cancer, it is a servant too,” said David Levine.

Marie-Eve Cousineau

  

Education – Back to school uncertain

Despite the many criticisms to his place for his handling of the crisis in recent months, Jean-François Roberge maintains his position as minister of Education. However, it loses the responsibility of higher education, a task entrusted to the former minister of Health, Danielle McCann.

Feeling forgotten, drowned in the great boat of the elementary and secondary education for the past two years, the environment of higher education is pleased to once again have a contact person appointed by the cabinet, the latest of which was the liberal Hélène David.

“There seemed to be no clear vision for higher education in the government Legault, says Benoît Lacoursière, secretary-general of the national Federation of teachers of Quebec. The CAQ has presented very few electoral commitments in connection with higher education, and it continued like that for the past two years. “

Same sound of bell on the side of the teachers ‘ Federation of cegep. “We are really excited that [the arrival of Mrs. McCann], especially as we didn’t feel that Jean-François Roberge had a great concern for higher education,” says the president, Lucie Piché.

The president of the Federation of cegeps, Bernard Tremblay, for his part, wished to thank the outgoing minister for his ” listening “. It evokes at the same time “the magnitude of the task to be performed” for Mrs. McCann.

His biggest challenge will undoubtedly be one of the season, which promises to be difficult and uncertain due to the COVID-19.

“It can be assumed that this is the consideration of the part of the prime minister to the academic community bringing one of the strong elements of his government “, said Jean Portuguese, president of the Fédération québécoise des professeures and professors of university. His arrival comes just in time for the consultations in the fall for the publication of the report on the future of universities, welcomed it. “I think that the choice of the government announcement that is coming up as important. “

Jessica Nadeau

 

Justice – a defence Strategy

By inheriting from the ministry of Justice and the role of the Attorney general of Quebec, Simon Jolin-Barrette is now involved in the defense strategy of its own Law on the secularity of the State, that has passed there has been barely a year.

The legislation, which prohibits the wearing of religious symbols to certain employees of the State, is contested by Ichrak Nourel Hak, a young graduate of teaching who is wearing the hijab with the support of the national Council of canadian muslims and the canadian civil liberties Association.

The minister Jolin-Barrette had, however, taken care to include in its legislation a provision for an exemption to exempt from the application of canadian and quebec charters of rights of the person in order to avoid it to be invalidated. Gold, with its new responsibilities, the “youngest Justice minister in Quebec’s history” is now a defender of the quebec Charter, which guarantees freedom of religion.

The Quebec Bar association has congratulated the minister Jolin-Barrette to his or her appointment without further comment. The Commission of human rights and the rights of the youth, who had expressed strong concerns during the debate on secularism, abstained.

“I sincerely hope that the redesign will not be detrimental to the progress of the work transpartisan within our committee (4 heads of the 4 parties) to support the victims of sexual violence and domestic. This is too important, ” responded on Twitter to the spokesman of the Parti québécois in the field of justice, Véronique Hivon.

Mr. Jolin-Barrette is well-known for its bright tone during the period of issues when it comes to title of house leader. Gold, this your a supporter fits less well to the roles of minister of Justice and Attorney general, which require a certain duty of reserve.

Mylène Crête

 

Immigration – ” Best bases “

Simon Jolin-Barrette being entrusted with the record of the justice, he gives up his position of minister of Immigration, Francization and Integration to Nadine Girault, who will retain his duties as international Relations.

It will resume on file for Immigration with ” a knowledge of, and experience with diversity “, stressed the prime minister at the press briefing following the official announcement. The political woman of haitian origin retains the co-chair of the recent Group of action against racism created by the CAQ.

Several hot topics for which the member for Borduas had been strongly criticized remain in limbo, waiting for a different approach, can be understood from this decision of the prime minister.

A lot of challenges await the new minister of Immigration. It shall examine in particular the reform Program of the quebec experience, the reduction of levels of immigration in the context of a pandemic, the regularisation of the status of asylum-seekers who have worked in the field of health, or even the redesign of the refugee sponsorship program.

“Jolin-Barrette has put back a lot of natural allies, such as chambers of commerce, universities, the community network and the trade unions in different folders. It’s going to be easier for a politician to leave on a better foundation, ” said Stephan Reichhold, director of the Table de concertation des organizations serving refugees and immigrants (TCRI).

The minister will take the place of Sonia LeBel the department of Justice, in maintaining the records of the French Language and Secularism, as well as his duties as house leader.

The past liberal “enough” of the new minister, suggests a vision of “more nuanced on immigration issues,” as well as a style that is more consensus-based, said Mr Reichhold. He feared, however, that its responsibilities to the department of international Relations to overcome those of the Immigration.

Sarah Rahmouni

  

Disappointment, Surprise, and lust

Several ministers criticized over the last months will remain. This is the case of the minister responsible for Seniors and caregivers, Marguerite Blais, who remains, despite the crisis in NURSING homes. “The maintenance of Ms. Blais to Seniors in surprise, several people responded the co-spokesperson of Québec solidaire, Manon Massé. It should now commit to completely change its ways and deliver the goods to protect the elderly. “

The minister of the Environment and the Fight against climate change, Benoit Charette, in which bill 44 is strongly criticized by environmental groups, retains the same responsibilities, but accesses to the committee of the priorities of the economic recovery, led by his colleague of Finance, Eric Girard. It is a ” welcome development “, according to Greenpeace, which calls for a “climate credibility” and a green stimulus. “We hope that the minister Charette will serve as the spark plug for this government, which have been stalled in environmental matters, while the effects of climate change are greatly felt, with an intensification of forest fires and heat waves, as the meteorologists call it unprecedented in Quebec,” said the head of the campaign Climate and Energy for the body, Patrick Bonin.

On the benches back of the blue Room, some members of parliament demanded on Monday when would be their turn to access the Council of ministers. They have received a message in the morning announcing the reshuffle, but it was not explained yet, in person, the ins and outs of the thinking of the prime minister.

Some worry find themselves confined to the back-ban until the next election, given the low likelihood of a new reorganization before the end of the mandate caquiste in two years. Still, this reshuffle was very much centred on the management of the pandemic, what to rekindle the hopes of seeing the cards rebrassées in a future more or less close.

Mylène Ridge with Marie-Michele Sioui