Blais dégommé, Proulx promoted

File Photo, Simon Clark
Sébastien Proulx will inherit the files of the National Capital, a responsibility which had hitherto been his colleague François Blais.

Marc-André Gagnon

Tuesday, 10 October 2017 14:47

UPDATE
Wednesday, 11 October, 2017 00:26

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In the wake of the cabinet reshuffle, widely expected to be announced this morning, the minister François Blais will lose the responsibility of the National Capital for the benefit of Sébastien Proulx, learned our parliamentary Bureau.

File Photo, Simon Clark

Philippe Couillard, Premier of Quebec

After having given up for months to revise its team significantly, Philippe Couillard will unveil, finally, the new composition of its council of ministers on the stroke of 10 hours.

The prime minister has spent the day yesterday to meet in a place of Montreal kept secret, those who will be called upon to play a new role within his ministerial team.

To the national Assembly by the end of the day, 30 chairs and two armchairs have been carefully installed at the front of the red Room, in view of the swearing-in ceremony with the Lieutenant governor.

According to this it has been possible to learn, even if little information has been filtered and that everything remains to be confirmed, it is a former member of parliament adéquiste, the liberal mla for Jean-Talon, Sebastien Proulx, who will inherit the files of the Quebec city region. This gesture is intended to better counter the wave caquiste that could raise the defeated liberal in Louis-Hébert, a year of general elections.

Sébastien Proulx would retain the ministry of Education, but the pane Family would be entrusted to someone else.

Other changes

This folder could be entrusted to Véronyque Tremblay, who at a by-election, in June 2015, has been biting the dust to the CAQ in succeeding Gérard Deltell in Chauveau. The name of Luc Fortin has also circulated yesterday to the portfolio of the Family.

Mr. Blais would remain, for his part, minister of Employment and social Solidarity.

Photo from the archives, Stevens LeBlanc

Mr. Blais, who learned the news by phone, retains the role of minister of Employment and social Solidarity.

It’s a safe bet that the minister responsible for the Centre-du-Québec, Laurent Lessard, will be relieved of the difficult ministry of Transport. Remains to be seen if it will retain the ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, which he inherited after the departure in disease, and the exclusion of Pierre Paradis.

It is not even clear if Mr. Lessard will retain a seat on the holy of holies. Ditto for the minister responsible for Access to information and the Reform of democratic institutions, Rita de Santis, who is even less sure.

Poëti back ?

Many expect that this reshuffle marks the return of Robert Poëti the cabinet.

Since the parliament is back in session, the prime minister Philippe Couillard has made the “transformation” his new mantra. It has in particular suggested that the next step for its government, would be a rejuvenation of his ministerial team.

If mps such as André Fortin (Pontiac), Isabelle Melançon (Verdun) and Marie Montpetit (Crémazie) could take up in the ranks, a number of ministers will remain in their current posts. According to our information, this would be among others the case of Gaétan Barrette to Health, Carlos Leitao, Finance, Julie Boulet and Tourism and Dominique Vien at Work.

Prior to the overhaul of this morning, 28 people were members of the Council of ministers, including the prime minister, Philippe Couillard, the chief whip, Stéphane Billette, and the caucus chair, Nicole Ménard.