François Legault is “cowardly” and “lacks courage”, launched Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, accusing the Prime Minister of looking for scapegoats instead of taking the blame in the face of the revelations which accumulate concerning the tragedy of the CHSLD Herron.
• Read also: [VIDÉO] Scathing clash between Legault and GND on the environment
• Read also: CHSLD: 5060 reasons for a public inquiry
“We have a Prime Minister who takes credit for what is going well, who washes his hands of what is going wrong. I find that cowardly. I find it cowardly, ”repeated the parliamentary leader of Quebec solidaire, Wednesday morning.
“Every day that passes, François Legault sinks a little deeper into the Herron scandal,” he added, in a press briefing.
“We got there,” the prime minister was indignant later in the Blue Room.
Photo archives QMI Agency, Joël Lemay
- Listen to Richard Martineau’s interview with Me Paul Brunet on QUB radio:
“That’s Québec solidaire’s new way of doing politics. To call the Prime Minister a coward. (…) I think there is a young politician in front of us who is doing old politics, ”he denounced.
“If my words hurt the Prime Minister, I withdraw them,” retorted Mr. Nadeau-Dubois, assuring to the boos of the elected CAQists that he “never intended to make a personal attack”.
“Dramatic” calls
At the origin of this confrontation, recordings of the calls made in March 2020 by the owners of the CHSLD Herron to Info-Santé (811), published by La Presse, the day after an email revealed by Radio-Canada, in which learns that ministers Marguerite Blais and Danielle McCann had been informed of the urgency of the situation at CHSLD Herron 10 days before François Legault became publicly concerned.
In these recordings, filed in evidence as part of the coroner Géhane Kamel’s inquest, we hear the cries for help launched by Samantha Chowieri and her husband, clearly desperate, helpless, and exhausted from knocking on all the doors.
According to Liberal leader Dominique Anglade, these “dramatic” calls illustrate how “the entire chain of command” lacked clarity. She also doubts that it was by reading the daily newspaper The Gazette, on April 10, that François Legault was made aware of the extent of the drama, as he claims.
“I can’t believe he knew about it,” Ms.me England.
Photo archives QMI Agency, Joël Lemay
Scapegoats
For his part, the parliamentary leader of the Parti Québécois, Joël Arseneau, added his voice to the Liberal Party of Quebec, which called on Tuesday for the resignation of ministers Blais and McCann.
“If they have failed in the task, they must resign,” ruled Mr. Arseneau.
According to the MP for the Îles-de-la-Madeleine, it would not be surprising if “to get out of the way,” the government fired the CEO of the CIUSSS de l’Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, Lynne McVey.
In their defense, Mr. Legault and Ms. Blais both repeated on Tuesday that the CIUSSS had assured that it was taking charge of the situation on March 30.
Mr. Nadeau-Dubois recalled that the Prime Minister had also flayed the owners of the establishment, at the height of the crisis.
“There is always someone to take the blame for François Legault,” he lamented.
“He must take his share of the responsibility, instead of throwing administrative officials under the bus,” believes the parliamentary leader of Québec solidaire.
Opposition parties believe the evidence warrants an independent public inquiry into the handling of the pandemic.