Premier François Legault is warning the Quebec population against “standing still” after the “battle of our lives” against COVID-19, which has taken the lives of nearly 11,500 people in Quebec since March 2020.
“Are we asking what we can do for Quebec? “, He launched, in a nod to the former President of the United States John F. Kennedy, during an opening speech in the Chamber of the National Assembly Tuesday after -midday. “It’s time to look to the future,” he continued.
He defined his government’s priorities for the coming year. “Where we are going to have the most [de changements], it is health ”, he indicated during his address to Parliament.
Mr. Legault notably pleaded for a “more human and more efficient organization” of work. To get there, unions, managers, professional orders and other employees will need to “work together” and embrace change. He also said he advocated the “decentralization” of the health network. The government will be content to “set performance targets and monitor results” while leaders will be given more latitude in determining what actions to take, he said.
The Prime Minister also deplored the low rate of care for new patients by family doctors. “I’m starting to get impatient and so are Quebeckers,” he said, saying he was ready to take action if necessary.
Mr. Legault announced the creation of a Ministry of Cybersecurity and Digital, dedicated to digital transformation. It also promises childcare spaces for all parents who request them.
Sign that the pandemic is fading, François Legault stressed that he will lift the state of health emergency when the vaccination operation for 5 to 11 year olds is completed. “Towards the beginning of 2022,” he suggested.
The lieutenant-governor of Quebec, J. Michel Doyon, opened the new parliamentary session on Tuesday shortly after 2 p.m. He took the opportunity to salute the “judgment” and the “rigor” demonstrated by the head of government François Legault throughout the COVID-19 pandemic: “one of the worst crises for 75 years”, a underlined Mr. Doyon. The viceroy also “congratulated” the leaders of parliamentary opposition groups, who have shown “greatness” and “dedication” as well as elected officials. “Other obstacles will present themselves. […] The history of Quebec is not a long quiet river, “argued Mr. Doyon, praising the” resistance “and” resilience “of the Quebec nation.
In the morning, Tuesday, the opposition parties in the National Assembly all urged the Prime Minister not to miss his appointment with History. According to the leader of the official opposition, Dominique Anglade, the opening speech will not have the effect of erasing the record of the Caquist government.
“The way the Prime Minister operates is like today what it has been for three years,” she said. I did not see the Prime Minister go to consult the parents, I did not see the Prime Minister go to consult the nurses, any more than I saw the Prime Minister go to consult the people in child care or even the entrepreneurs. . “
The elected liberal invited the head of government to take a position on current issues, such as the labor shortage and the fight against climate change.
“The economy and pride, it’s all well and good, but that will mean nothing if the planet dies,” added the co-spokesperson for Quebec solidaire Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, Tuesday.
This speech is an opportunity to “name things”, said the leader of the Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon. ” [Ça prend] consistency, the courage to take seriously the fact that it’s been three years that there are parents who do not have a place in daycare, which means maybe getting out of the dogma of the four-year-old kindergarten and really to revalue this profession ”, he illustrated.
Further details will follow.
With Le Devoir