Kept away from her ministerial activities for a few weeks, Marguerite Blais is doing better and “should be back at the start of 2022”. The Coroner’s Office will take the opportunity to have her testify as part of the public inquiry into CHSLDs.
Ms. Blais’ press secretary, Lyann St-Hilaire, confirmed to the Duty that the Minister responsible for Seniors and Caregivers, who was recovering from professional exhaustion and “minor” physical problems, is only waiting for the green light from her doctor to resume her duties.
“In the context where Minister Blais is feeling better and with the approval of her doctor, she should be back at the beginning of the year 2022”, she indicated by text message.
This therefore means that the Minister, who supervised care for the elderly during the first pandemic wave, will be able to make herself available to answer questions from coroner Géhane Kamel. As of January, it continues its investigation into the management of the pandemic in CHSLDs.
On Tuesday, the Coroner’s Office confirmed that the minister would indeed be summoned, as reported by La Presse in the morning. The meeting is scheduled for January 13.
“We have always said that if her health permits, Ms. Blais would testify,” said Lyann St-Hilaire on Tuesday.
For some time now, opposition groups in Quebec have been asking to hear the minister, who, without being part of the government’s crisis unit, was responsible for managing long-term care centers when COVID-19 struck a first time, in the spring of 2020.
“In the people that the coroner should ask to hear, we will add Ms. Blais. When it is delivered, there. If there are medical reasons, obviously, you have to respect that, but I think that Ms. Blais has the obligation, in the circumstances, to come and testify, ”had meant the leader of the Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, during a press briefing at the end of last month.
Minister Christian Dubé is currently assuming the duties of Minister responsible for Seniors, replacing Ms. Blais. His predecessor in Health, Danielle McCann, already presented the government’s version of events to the coroner a month ago.