Opposition parties in the National Assembly are surprised at the government’s changing positions on the coroner’s inquest into the death of Richard Genest in Amos. “It’s worrying,” raised the elected PQ Joël Arseneau on Friday.
Thursday, all morning, Prime Minister François Legault hammered that there was “no link to be made” between the death of Mr. Genest after a long trip in an ambulance and the closure of the emergency room in Senneterre, where he lived. The elected Caquist added that an investigation was not necessary to shed light on this issue.
However, the Coroner’s Office had already launched its inquest at 8:30 am that morning.
“Either the government knew that the investigation had been launched and it continued on the same line of denial, which is worrying,” observed the parliamentary leader of the Parti Quebecois, Joël Arseneau, Friday. Either the government was not aware that a coroner’s inquest was already under way, even though it said that the inquest was not necessary, which is also worrying. “
According to the leader of the Liberal Party of Quebec, Dominique Anglade, the Legault government is downright “willful blindness”.
“Yesterday in question period it was obvious to us that there had to be a coroner’s inquest. Everyone looked at it and then said: it is obvious that the fact that someone could not have access to an emergency 10 minutes on foot from their home must certainly raise questions ”, she said. reported during a press briefing on Friday morning.
“The only person who said, ‘I see no connection’ is the Prime Minister. And that is irresponsible, ”she continued.
The government maintains that it was the President and CEO of the CISSS de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Caroline Roy, who informed it of the activities of the Bureau de la coroner. It was she who first told them that there was “no matter for investigation”.
That in no way excuses the behavior of the elected Caquists Thursday, retorted the elected Abitibi-Témiscamingue Émilise Lessard-Therrien. ” How come [que le gouvernement] was not aware that the coroner had already taken up the file and that he repeated that all protocols had been followed? If the coroner takes up the case, it is to shed light on what happened, ”said the member for Quebec solidaire.
According to data from the Ministry of Health and Social Services, five emergency services across Quebec are facing temporary service breakdowns, including that of Senneterre.