In his inaugural speech on November 30, 2022, Prime Minister Legault cited a phrase from Winston Churchill which could still inspire him at the start of the year: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal ; what matters is the courage to continue. »
Subject to approval by their members, the agreement in principle of December 28 with the various unions of the Common Front and the Autonomous Federation of Education (FAE) undoubtedly constitutes a political success, but it will take time to appreciate its effects on network quality.
The union members themselves are still unaware of what concessions in the organization of work the government has obtained in return for improving its salary offers, particularly in the case of teachers.
In the inaugural speech, Mr. Legault declared: “Our main challenge is finding teachers. » Nothing ensures, however, that the provisions of the agreement will contribute to stimulating vocations, whether teaching staff or various specialists, whose goodwill of “classroom aides” cannot be sufficient to compensate for the shortage.
Staffing was also the “main challenge” in the health sector. For the moment, the Interprofessional Health Federation (FIQ) refuses any compromise on “flexibility” without which the Dubé reform risks being limited to a simple mixing of structures, which will not significantly improve the quality of care. It is premature to speak of a “fatal” failure, but the challenge remains.
“What counts is the courage to continue,” said Churchill. Despite the discouraging results of the polls and even if, deep down, Mr. Legault had already decided not to seek a third mandate, he has no other choice but to continue the one he received ago. barely fifteen months. A captain does not abandon ship in a storm.
Even if inflation seems more stubborn in Quebec than elsewhere in the country, it will eventually subside, which should help improve the mood of voters, but the government cannot just wait for the sky to change. brightens or the star of the Parti Québécois fades by itself.
Most of the boxes from the November 2022 inaugural address have now been checked. The framework for health and education reforms has been put in place, immigration guidelines have been defined for the next three years, Hydro-Québec’s new investment plan has laid the foundations for the energy transition. , while the action plan to reverse the decline of French is revealed piecemeal.
Certainly, the negotiations that Mr. Legault was keen to lead vigorously with Ottawa did not have the hoped-for results, whether in terms of immigration or health care financing, but no one really believed in it, him probably less than others.
Even if this occurred a little earlier in the mandate than usual, nothing would prevent Mr. Legault from delivering a new inaugural speech to mark a new beginning, if only an agreement with the FIQ could make it possible to definitively close the chapter. negotiations.
A prime minister often likes to reinforce the impression of renewal by a ministerial reshuffle, which also makes it possible to correct certain errors and satisfy the most impatient within the caucus. To have the desired effect, however, the change must not be merely cosmetic. A game of musical chairs on the outskirts won’t convince anyone.
Assurances that a reshuffle is not in the cards are generally taken with a grain of salt. In the present case, we would tend to believe Mr. Legault, who clearly does not wish to touch the first circle.
Not only is he satisfied — and rightly so — with the work of Christian Dubé, Pierre Fitzgibbon and Eric Girard (despite the subsidy to the Los Angeles Kings), but he also knows that they would not accept a demotion. And holding one or more by-elections is probably the last thing he needs right now.
He must also pray to heaven that none of those who have been waiting for years for their turn to access the Council of Ministers decides to imitate Jean-Talon’s former MP, Joëlle Boutin, whose resignation caused the disaster that we know about.
In moments of discouragement, Mr. Legault could draw inspiration from this other phrase from Churchill: “Success is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm. »