This is another irony of the story.
In 2018, the unions warned against François Legault, who represented a danger, according to them, for the Quebec model. The CAQ leader no longer proposed to eliminate 20,000 public service positions, as in 2014. But he nevertheless wanted to reduce the size of the state, and the unions were wary of it.
According to Alexandre Taillefer, president of the Liberal campaign, Mr. Legault was a “libertarian” who threatened “social peace”. Nothing less.
Finally, Mr. Legault will spend the rest of his mandate trying to repair this model in crisis, especially in health, education and early childhood. Its “change projects” aim more to preserve its mission than to modify its nature. His big challenge: to hire.
The Coalition futur Quebec thus reveals its true face. Over time, it becomes a party of governance. Mr. Legault is not an ideologue. He remains a manager. He sees problems and looks for solutions.
What changes, exactly?
The opening speech was sparse in detail.
How are we going to decentralize the health network, reduce the role of private employment agencies, reform home care, increase the graduation rate of students to 90% or even hire more people in construction, in information and engineering? And what is the precise plan to create a “global hub” of electric vehicle batteries? Or to automate businesses and make them more productive?
We are still looking.
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However, an opening speech remains a statement of principles and intentions.
The exercise is first and foremost about communication, and the CAQ needed to change the message. Because even if it dominates in the polls, it is a bit annoyed.
She boasts of having managed the pandemic well, but she wants to show that Quebec is emerging from the crisis.
She is also happy to have fulfilled the majority of her promises, but that means that she must find new plans for the electoral campaign.
Hence this speech, which also offered him a nice free forum.
Jean Charest had resorted to this strategy in February 2011. He announced the return of e-mail to school, as well as the arrival of intensive English and “interactive whiteboards”. A menu significantly thinner than that of Mr. Legault.
Minority, Pauline Marois had not had time to deliver such a speech. Philippe Couillard had done without. In retrospect, that would have allowed him to correct his course when he imposed painful cuts even though income was higher than expected.
Mr. Legault also missed a great opportunity to adjust his speech in the face of two crises, in housing and in the environment.
The Prime Minister is working economically to develop green energies, but he had little to say about other ecological issues such as the protection of biodiversity and the land. Certainly, the announcement of the end of the oil and gas adventure will mark the spirits. But in fact, the projects were no longer profitable. Their death was becoming inevitable.
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Proof of his popularity, Mr. Legault did not take advantage of the inaugural speech to drop controversial bills or to make a reshuffle. His team remains surprisingly stable. In addition to Health, Justice and the Treasury Board, the main departments have not changed responsible since 2018.
However, the Prime Minister has developed bad habits. He got used to governing under a state of emergency. On Tuesday, he also extended once again this exceptional procedure. It will be necessary to wait for the vaccination of 5 to 11 years before terminating it. So probably in January.
It’s long, very long… This status allows contracts to be awarded without a call for tenders. Their total value runs into billions, and the lack of competition must have inflated costs. The Auditor General will be interested, and she may find horror stories.
This emergency was also used to circumvent the collective agreements of health workers to impose schedules. We can no longer use this process while claiming to improve working conditions to retain and attract staff.
These short-term solutions are likely to worsen long-term problems. There is an urgent need to get out of this emergency.
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This return to normal will give the opposition some visibility. She needs it. The Liberals, Solidarity and PQ are all at their bottom line in the polls.
The pandemic has helped Mr. Legault take center stage and marginalize his opponents.
His capital of sympathy will help him to start difficult battles, as with general practitioners. His tenure began with a disappointing deal with medical specialists – he failed to recover the billion dollars promised. He promises to be firmer with family doctors, threatening to impose the penalties of Gaétan Barrette’s Law 20 – they have never been applied. However, the number of Quebecers without a family doctor has almost doubled since 2018.
The other fall battle will be with Ottawa, to get more health money and immigration powers.
It will be very difficult … Justin Trudeau has not forgotten Mr. Legault’s support for the Conservatives. He will not be in a hurry to help him down the home stretch before the 2022 Quebec election campaign.
The Caquista government will nevertheless have more resources than expected, thanks to a slight improvement in the budget.
I wrote that Mr. Legault will have to save the Quebec model. It would be fairer to say that he must tackle the demographic shock that specialists have seen coming for 20 years, without his predecessors having acted.
The next few weeks will allow us to know more precisely what Mr. Legault’s “work sites” consist of. Their effect will take time to be felt.
In his speech, he spoke of plans for the “next years”. In other words: it was a foretaste of his electoral platform.