Christine Fréchette at the Economy and Energy | “Civil servants can be happy”

A “studious” minister capable of navigating troubled waters without sinking. Christine Fréchette succeeds Pierre Fitzgibbon as superminister in the midst of a tumultuous period for the Legault government. She must quickly settle into the helm without losing her bearings. It’s best not to underestimate her, say those who know her.

“The civil servants who will work for her can be happy: what they will write in reports will be read,” summarizes the president and CEO of Montréal International, Stéphane Paquet.

The one who shares mutual friends with the minister in addition to having worked with her within the economic promotion agency of the metropolis in 2015 as well as in 2016 has a qualifier to describe M^me Fréchette: studious.

“When someone becomes a minister, there’s always a big briefing book on their desk,” says Paquet. “I don’t know who reads it from start to finish, but she’s going to read it. She wants to know the details. I remember, in my first year at Montréal International, I had to be prepared. She had all the questions.”

This trait of M^me Fréchette could be useful to her: she replaces Pierre Fitzgibbon at Economy, Innovation and Energy – in addition to inheriting responsibility for Montreal – on the eve of parliamentary work to adopt the energy reform bill.

Consumers? Businesses? Who will pay to finance the increase in Hydro-Québec’s production capacity? Premier François Legault repeats that the increase in residential rates will not exceed 3%, but that the bill is expected to be higher for businesses. We haven’t finished talking about it.

“She will do her homework,” says Mr. Paquet. “The work to be done to get up to date on these issues will be done.”

M^me Fréchette succeeds Mr. Fitzgibbon in a delicate context, where both sides will have to be looked after. The superminister will have to draw inspiration from her time at Immigration, where she had to lead the planning of reception thresholds – an issue that, most of the time, takes an emotional turn.

“It was fortunate that she was there,” summarizes Stephan Reichhold, director of the Table de concertation des organismes au service des personnes réfugiées et immigrants (TCRI). “The day she began her mandate, she defused the tensions that existed before and the really negative discourse. She is very diplomatic.”

M^me Fréchette appears to have been able to navigate these rough seas. The result – an increase to more than 60,000 permanent immigrants by 2027, accompanied by tighter French-language requirements for skilled foreign workers – looks like a compromise between government and business concerns.

“M^me Fréchette managed to arrive, all in all, with a form of compromise, underlines the president and CEO of Manufacturiers et Exportateurs du Québec, Véronique Proulx. On energy, she will have the same thing to do. She knows the business community and its concerns. Hydro-Québec also has its needs. The theme is different [de l’immigration]but it takes someone to navigate all of that. This is the right person.”

At the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal (CCMM), Michel Leblanc is more nuanced. There is still “discontent” in the business community since the immigration thresholds are below what was hoped for, he says. But M^me Fréchette had a good command of his files, agrees Mr. Leblanc, who spoke on numerous occasions with the new superminister on the issue of immigration.

“She has put in place safeguards,” he explains. “She arrives well prepared, with elements of response. One of her great strengths is that she is a good communicator and pragmatic. Some people cut corners, but she doesn’t.”

Change of direction

Mr. Fitzgibbon was known for his outspokenness and his free-spirited manner in his interactions with the media, which sometimes put the Legault government on the defensive. On this side, we risk witnessing a break with the businessman. Less fond of this type of exercise, Ms.^me Fréchette has made us less accustomed to hearing his deepest thoughts impromptu.

“She is impeccably professional,” says Marie-Gervaise Pilon, vice-president of the organization Québec réunifié. “In fact, I would even go so far as to say too professional, because a slightly more human approach might have helped her image.”

The federal Minister of Tourism and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, Soraya Martinez Ferrada, knows M well^me Fréchette. The two politicians ran in the municipal elections in 2009 under the banner of Vision Montreal.

M^me Fréchette was head of the East Montreal Chamber of Commerce when Mr.^me Ferrada became the Member of Parliament for the federal riding of Hochelaga in 2019 (Liberal Party of Canada). They had to collaborate on several issues. M’s challenge^me Fréchette is tall, but she has the tools to get there, believes the federal MP.

“She demonstrated it to Immigration,” says M.^me Ferrada: When you want to make big changes, you have to get to your destination without leaving anyone behind and convince people to trust you. That’s what Christine is going to do.”

The person replacing Mr. Fitzgibbon is thought highly of. However, the ability to learn in short time frames may have its limits. In the business world, this is what is worrisome, given that the study of Bill 69 in parliamentary committee begins next week. Many believe that it would be better to take a step back.

“This creates a lot of uncertainty about what happens next,” believes Jean Simard, president and CEO of the Aluminum Association of Canada, which represents Alcoa, Alouette and Rio Tinto, the three major producers of grey metal based in Quebec.

The energy issue is crucial for aluminum smelters and the proposed reform is the first since 1997, Mr. Simard emphasizes. To be able to discuss such a complex issue, you need a good level of understanding, according to him, and time to prepare. He believes that pushing back the parliamentary committee would be the right thing to do. After all, the decisions will have very long-term repercussions.

Despite his economic experience, even Mr. Fitzgibbon took some time to tame the energy sector, recalls Jocelyn Allard, president of the Association des consommateurs industriels d’électricité, which represents Hydro-Québec’s largest customers, who pay the L rate for large industry.

“I understand that it is surprising that the parliamentary committee is taking place next week as planned, without the new minister having had time to read the briefs of the speakers and understand the issues,” he said.