Creation of Santé Québec | The transition period begins

(Quebec) Christian Dubé takes a new step in his reform. The Minister of Health mandates a transition committee which will have one year to support the team of top guns at the helm of Santé Québec towards its deployment.

This committee, which will also have to concoct a transition plan for the years to come, will take office on Friday. The establishment of such a group obtained the green light from the Council of Ministers before the Holidays, according to a decree published Wednesday in the Official Gazette.

However, its composition was determined in a ministerial decree signed by the minister only on Wednesday, we learned. An announcement is also planned for this Thursday.

This includes the emergency physician Gilbert Boucher, recently involved in emergency crisis management. The former CEO of CHU Sainte-Justine Caroline Barbir, who was dispatched by Mr. Dubé to Joliette after the death of Joyce Echaquan, also appears there.

The general director of the Provincial Regroupment of Users’ Committees, Sylvie Tremblay, who had expressed concerns when the minister’s reform was tabled, is also named, as are former leaders of regional establishments, deputy ministers and a representative of the nursing staff. Other members may be added in the coming months, as needed.

The transition committee will have to support the future president and CEO of Santé Québec, a state corporation which will be responsible for the entire operational aspect of the health and social services network, and his management team towards the deployment of the new structure.

Calls for applications to recruit the first big boss of Santé Québec, the president and members of the board of directors will also be launched in the coming days.

Under the Act to make the health and social services network more efficient (PL15), adopted under gag order in December, Santé Québec is created upon the appointment of the president and CEO.

Christian Dubé hopes to unearth top guns from the private sector to run the agency. The Press revealed in March that the minister was ready to put competitive salary offers on the table to attract candidates, even if it meant going beyond the standard public sector remuneration framework.

The minister’s office confirmed Monday that the person who will be at the head of Santé Québec “will have a salary comparable to similar positions in large state-owned companies, such as Hydro-Québec.” The CEO of Hydro-Québec, Michael Sabia, receives an annual salary of $639,000.

Radio-Canada reported Monday that the future leader would earn $543,000 per year. The latter will not have a driver, but a travel allowance, the firm also specified.

“Prepare for the merger” at Santé Québec

The transition committee will also have the mandate to “prepare the merger” of the CISSS and CIUSSS into the organization of Santé Québec. This major step, which will come at the end of the fall, will make the state corporation the sole employer of some 330,000 workers in the health and social services network. This is also when Santé Québec will become operational.

The definition of major government directions and strategies will remain within the purview of the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS).

The coming months will also be used to develop a plan to transfer MSSS staff to Santé Québec, which should begin in the spring. Which departments will be transferred? How many deputy ministers could be moved? These questions remain unanswered for the moment.

At the time of his electoral commitment, in August 2022, Mr. Dubé indicated that the deputy ministers responsible for operational sectors could find themselves at Santé Québec. The number of deputy ministers would also be reduced, the minister confirmed at the time.

He then believed that the MSSS organization chart made “no common sense” and promised to make the network more “agile” with the creation of Santé Québec. This commitment came six months after the submission of its Health Plan, the first stage of its reform.

The transition committee, some members of which will receive remuneration, will have to report on its activities every four months. A first progress report, which will be public, is expected in May.

At the end of its mandate, in April 2025, the committee will submit to the Minister of Health a longer-term transition plan, establishing for example the orientations of Santé Québec. It will then be dissolved.