We knew that it would come sooner rather than later, but the hasty resignation of Pierre Fitzgibbon gives the impression of a government that has entered a process of attrition that is accelerating and gives off the smell of the end of a regime.
At this stage in the life of a government, the departure of a heavyweight who was not forced to leave is often a warning sign. Who will be next? Even if he assures that he wants to finish his term, is Christian Dubé simply waiting for the new Santé Québec agency to be operational? Above all, when will it be the Prime Minister’s turn, even if he keeps telling anyone who will listen that he will seek a third term?
The best always leave first, as the saying goes. Of course, the all-powerful Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy was not unanimous. He had the unfortunate habit of cutting corners, whether in matters of ethics or transparency, but his departure nonetheless leaves a gaping hole.
One could contest his conception of development and worry about his fixation on the battery sector, but no one questioned his competence or his determination to make Quebec more prosperous.
The economic image of the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) largely rested on him, and the impunity he enjoyed gave the measure of his importance in the eyes of the Prime Minister. François Legault laughed bitterly when Mr. Fitzgibbon was caught hunting pheasants, in period costume, with his millionaire friends, but he did not publicly reproach him.
No one other than the superminister could allow himself to contradict Mr. Legault so openly without attracting the slightest reprimand, even when he was meddling in what was none of his business. Who would have dared to say out loud that opening an office in Tel Aviv in the midst of the carnage in the Gaza Strip was ill-advised?
We should also be grateful to him for clearly stating that the era of cheap electricity was coming to an end and that Quebecers would soon have to pay a high price to finance the energy transition. We would like others to also give the truth.
Mr. Fitzgibbon was the only minister who had defined the responsibilities he wanted to be entrusted with and he did as he pleased. He had been at Energy, where the economy of tomorrow’s Quebec is being shaped, for barely two years. That a man who led such a broad field could suffer from a lack of motivation is, to say the least, astonishing.
From the moment it was clear that he would not complete his mandate, it was undoubtedly preferable to end a suspense that would have become more and more disturbing and to quickly finish with the by-election in Terrebonne, even if it meant losing it, rather than offer such a springboard to the Parti Québécois (PQ) closer to the next general election.
This is still good timing for the PQ, which suffered the most from the summer break, a period traditionally favorable to the government if only because voters have their minds elsewhere.
It can’t really be said that the CAQ has benefited from this. The party’s one-point drop in voting intentions compared to June, as noted by the latest Léger poll, seems more like a lesser evil. On the other hand, even if the PQ remains in the lead, the 29% of voting intentions that Léger credits the party with represents a five-point drop since its peak last April.
Terrebonne has long been a PQ constituency and should in principle be easier to take than Jean-Talon, who had led the PQ to victory in the October 2, 2023 by-election and thus given the party tremendous momentum.
Mr. Legault will name Mr. Fitzgibbon’s successor(s) in the coming hours. A simple “adjustment” that will not bring new blood, pending the in-depth reshuffle that will have to come one day or another.
A major reshuffle of the ministerial cards is often coincided with the extension of the parliamentary session and a new inaugural speech. It was obviously too late for such an operation, as the National Assembly resumes its work next Tuesday. January 2025 seems much more propitious.
It would certainly have been preferable for Mr. Fitzgibbon to lead the debate on the adoption of the bill on energy transition and the decarbonization of the economy before taking his leave. The opposition parties are calling for its study to be postponed, but the outline is there and someone else can very well finish the job.
It was delicious to hear them on Wednesday praising a man whose resignation they had loudly demanded when he was reprimanded by the ethics commissioner. It is true that politics is not necessarily a matter of consistency.