Two ministers intimately associated with the management of the first wave of the pandemic are preparing to leave political life. Former health minister Danielle McCann and the minister responsible for seniors, Marguerite Blais, will not run for office in the 2022 general election.
They confirmed their imminent departure on Friday, at the end of a week marked with a red iron by the carnage observed in 2020 at the CHSLD Dorvalois Herron.
Ms. McCann – now Minister of Higher Education – and Ms. Blais become the first elected members of the Council of Ministers to announce their departure from active politics. “I would have liked to announce it to the citizens of my riding in [premier]but I will not represent myself, ”wrote the first on his Twitter account, a few hours after that The Journal of Quebec reported the news.
“I confirm that she will not run again,” said Ms. Blais’ press secretary to the To have toa few hours later.
I would have liked to announce it to the citizens of my county first, but I will not represent myself. I will be a grandmother in the spring. This is one of the most beautiful news, and which pushes me to devote myself to my family. I will provide an update to the citizens of Sanguinet soon.
— Danielle McCann (@MinisterMcCann) April 8, 2022
Investigation into the carnage at Herron
Danielle McCann was piloting the Department of Health and Human Services when the first pandemic wave hit. New revelations about the slaughter observed at the CHSLD Herron have earned him to be inundated with questions this week. Asked four times about the thread of events on Wednesday, the minister each time refused to answer.
“We will receive the coroner’s report, then after that we will see, she contented herself with saying. We must respect the steps for families, precisely. I think that there was a rigorous, complete process, a lot of time that was spent with the different actors. It really is the best vehicle, and the families will have answers from this commission of inquiry. »
It is an express passage in politics for the elected official of Sanguinet, who was elected for the first time in 2018, and is preparing to leave her post four years later. Trained in social work, she pursued a career in the health and social services network before joining the Coalition avenir Québec.
As for Marguerite Blais, she defended herself tooth and nail this week in the face of opposition criticism. The elected official claims to have nothing to reproach herself for in her management of the outbreak in Herron.
This week, she admitted not having informed the Prime Minister’s Office when the situation escalated within the walls of the residence. “Emails with [la mention] “emergency”, there were like that every day, day after day, because there were outbreaks in several living environments, ”she justified herself.
“We were told that it was taken care of,” she added.
The MNA for Prévost found herself under fire from critics this week. Described as “incompetent” by Quebec Liberal Party MP Pierre Arcand on Thursday, the minister responsible for seniors had difficulty holding back tears. “There are words that touch us. We are human beings…”, she launched to the journalists.
Elected under the Liberal banner, Ms. Blais went from red to powder blue in 2018, when François Legault offered to team up with him.