(Quebec) The Minister responsible for Seniors and Caregivers, Marguerite Blais, will be back in office this Wednesday, confirms her cabinet. Minister Blais had temporarily withdrawn from her ministerial duties to deal with minor physical health problems as well as professional exhaustion last October.
Posted at 3:07 p.m.
The office of Minister Marguerite Blais has confirmed that the Minister responsible for Seniors and Caregivers will resume her duties on Wednesday. Prime Minister François Legault alluded to the return of his minister during question period at the Blue Room on Tuesday. The fate of seniors in CHSLDs and private seniors’ residences continues to make headlines.
Last week, the Quebec Regrouping of Residences for Seniors (RQRA) deplored the devastating effects of overconfinement on the elderly, while the CISSSs and CIUSSSs impose strict and rigid measures in accommodation settings. Again on Tuesday, Radio-Canada reported the case of seniors deprived of baths because they were in isolation.
Last week, the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, who took on the responsibilities of Mme Blais during his absence, promised to harmonize his ministerial directives to take into account Omicron, much less virulent than the previous variants.
Minister Blais has found herself in the hot seat several times in recent months due to the management of the first wave of the pandemic in CHSLDs. She also agreed to testify before coroner Géhane Kamel in January despite her sick leave.
Minister Blais, 71, also canceled her professional activities last August for a month to treat acute pain in one leg.