With its first real parliamentary session set for today, we will be witnessing the Legault government's true opening act.
Now that it is well-installed at the helm of the State, that its ministers have pored through the files and mastered the functioning of the government apparatus, and that it is enjoying high approval ratings, it is this parliamentary session that will reveal the Legault government’s true colours. The government's baptism of fire will be its ability to control the agenda, maintain the cohesion of its caucus, and effectively manage current events.
The ministers will no longer have a free pass and will henceforth face the daily barrage of the parliamentary arena and the sustained onslaught of questions at the National Assembly’s Blue Room. Luckily for these ministers, they will be facing a decimated and disorganized Opposition.
The State’s coffers may be brimming, but Caquiste ambitions have compelled ministries to identify optimization measures to finance the electoral promises.
The Finance Minister also had high ambitions for its first budget. During pre-budget consultations designed to show that the new government is “listening to the people,” the Minister invited a remarkable number of organizations to suggest new priorities and ask for a few million dollars here and there. In reality, the objective will be to stamp a Caquiste imprint with the elbow room it currently enjoys. The priorities hold few secrets: tax breaks for the middle class, investments for new schools, money to finance family caregivers and for early childhood screening. The others will have to wait patiently before they "pass GO and collect $200," to borrow a line from the famous game.
Continuing the approach of its first months of governance and trying not to upset anyone, the Legault government will attempt to govern dead centre. As seen in many issues, the government wishes to appease the fox and the hare – an approach that contrasts with the strident positions the CAQ advocated as an Opposition party. This strategy is undoubtedly paying off, as recent polls confirm that François Legault and his troops are in tune with the electorate.
We should not expect a particularly meaty legislative menu, the winter/spring session being largely occupied by a study of budgetary credits following the filing of the budget. There will undoubtedly be an umpteenth bill on State secularism. The government wants to quickly bring firm closure to this polarizing issue that is less State- than media-driven. The Education Minister has already announced a bill to facilitate the implementation of kindergarten for four-year-olds. An electoral reform bill, though promised in the first year of the mandate, and another converting school boards into administrative centres, seem much less likely due to their complexity.
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