The president of the Treasury Board, Sonia LeBel, will earn an A or an E, depending on whether negotiations in the public sector end with an agreement or special law. For the moment, given the harmful interventions of his colleagues, starting with those of the Prime Minister, his efforts deserve a B.
Andrée Laforest concluded a new fiscal pact which was welcomed by the municipal world. To better finance public transportation, municipalities will be authorized to tax motorists. B
The projected increase in tuition fees imposed on Canadian students outside Quebec seems a little excessive, but the Minister of Higher Education, Pascale Déry, is the first to dare to tighten the screws on the all-powerful McGill University. B
Prime Minister Legault said it would be “suicidal” to welcome more than 50,000 immigrants per year. Christine Fréchette raised the threshold to around 65,000, but finally took into account the explosion in the number of temporary workers, who will have to demonstrate (after three years) a (minimal) knowledge of French. B
Jean-François Roberge’s support for the holding of an English Week at Cégep Limoilou displeased François Legault. The action plan that he reveals in the room will undoubtedly not be enough to halt the decline of French, but it at least shows a certain concern. B
In collaboration with his colleague from Education, Jean Boulet (Labour) launched an accelerated training program which is welcome to alleviate the labor shortage in the construction sector. B
Between last summer’s forest fires and the dike which threatens to give way in the Hautes-Laurentides, François Bonnardel played his role as firefighter. Unlike what he did last year for Montreal, he considered it unnecessary to grant additional funding to the City of Quebec to fight against armed violence. B
The Minister of Justice, Simon Jolin-Barrette, finally managed to come to an agreement with the Court of Quebec on the bilingualism of judges, but the interruptions of trials due to the shortage of judges and staff in the courts are multiplying at a worrying pace. The adoption of the law against planned obsolescence is good news for consumers. B
We can’t blame Pierre Fitzgibbon for lacking dynamism, except that he always cuts corners. The establishment of the battery sector and new Hydro-Québec projects could transform Quebec’s economy, but compliance with administrative and environmental standards still seems superfluous in his eyes. B-
The results of the major shift in home care promised by the Coalition Avenir Québec are still awaited. Minister Sonia Bélanger launched a series of pilot projects to reduce bureaucracy and time lost traveling. She recognizes, however, that we will have to be patient. B-
The transformation of unsubsidized daycare spaces into subsidized spaces is continuing, but Suzanne Roy indicated that the new one-stop shop would not be put in place before June 2024. B-
The star of Christian Dubé (Health) has faded less than that of Mr. Legault since the end of the pandemic, but his advocacy has not succeeded in convincing the population that his reform will improve things. Despite his eagerness to get it over with, using a gag order to pass Bill 15 in the middle of negotiations with the public sector did not send the best message. B-
Two and a half years later, Lionel Carmant finally followed up on a key recommendation of the Laurent commission by announcing the appointment of a commissioner for the well-being and rights of children. He promised to send reinforcements to reduce the mental health waiting list, but where will he get them? B-
Former journalist Mathieu Lacombe (Culture and Communications) is clearly sensitive to the media crisis, but he in turn experiences the frustration of being ignored by Ottawa. We are impatiently awaiting the bill he mentioned which would force web giants to include Quebec content on their platforms. B-
Impulsiveness plays bad tricks on the Minister responsible for the Status of Women, Martine Biron, who took time to understand that the adoption of a law guaranteeing the right to abortion and its inclusion in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms risked having the opposite effect to that which it sought. VS
Maïté Blanchette Vézina announced her intention to reopen the Mining Act in order to provide the battery sector with the strategic minerals it needs, but above all she would need to reassure all those who are worried about the explosion of claims that occurred during of recent years. VS
Eradicating violence in hockey seems like an impossible mission for Minister Isabelle Charest. After the degrading initiations at the junior level, it was the racism in a lower category Gatineau team that aroused his indignation. VS
Bernard Drainville passed his education reform bill, but goodwill is not enough to establish credibility. Trying to make striking teachers feel guilty was counterproductive. Banning cell phones in class and installing mixed toilets in schools were better advised. His interpretation of Karl Tremblay was awkward to say the least. VS-
Recognizing his inability to offer more support to agricultural producers after a catastrophic year, the Minister of Agriculture, André Lamontagne, had a very bad time at the congress of the Union of Agricultural Producers. VS-
Obtaining the co-presidency (with Denmark) of the Beyond Oil & Gas coalition was a big deal for Benoit Charette (Environment). However, we would like to see him less complacent in the face of a project like that of Northvolt, which will avoid an examination by the Office of Public Hearings on the Environment, despite the destruction of wetlands. He has not succeeded in dispelling the unfortunate impression he gives of having “lied by omission” about exceeding nickel standards in the Limoilou district of Quebec. D
Faced with the outcry, Minister Ian Lafrenière had to back down on his bill on indigenous languages. Four years after the submission of the Viens commission report, the Public Protector reported results “below expectations”. D
Whether it is the third link or the tramway, so-called structuring transport projects in Quebec have instead become synonymous with chaos. Minister Geneviève Guilbault set a very bad example by being caught driving without a seat belt on several occasions. D
The Minister of Finance, Eric Girard, has become the symbol of the Legault government’s disconnection by granting millions for the Los Angeles Kings to come and play insignificant games in Quebec while the food banks are overwhelmed. D
The Minister responsible for Housing, France-Élaine Duranceau, is now in everyone’s eyes the Minister of Homeowners. She got a slap on the wrist from the Ethics Commissioner for having targeted a friend. D
If it were not for the occasional failures that persist at the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec and the adventures of the third link, which recall his promise of resignation, we would have almost forgotten that Éric Caire is still a minister. This is undoubtedly what Mr. Legault would like. D