A mandate built on trust, a legacy of challenges

A leaner cabinet mixes predictable picks with a few surprises.

Paul St-Pierre Plamondon named his cabinet today, with a mandate to put Quebec’s house in order and tackle the issues weighing the province down.

“Le choix de la confiance” was more than an election slogan. Trust clearly guided the premier as he worked through the puzzle of assembling a cabinet. He has entrusted his closest allies, who also bring political and parliamentary experience, with the most important roles and, let’s be frank, the riskiest assignments.

Some of Paul St-Pierre Plamondon’s choices were predictable, with certain appointments and candidates standing out as obvious picks. As promised, he has taken personal responsibility for tackling homelessness. But he also had a few surprises in store.

Let’s start with the obvious choices.

For deputy premier, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon naturally turned to Catherine Gentilcore (Terrebonne), who emerges as a leading force in this government. She takes on immigration, where she will have to steer major reforms, and also becomes Government House Leader, a pivotal role in a minority legislature. She will also have the important responsibility of overseeing Quebec’s accession to independence.

Already seen as cabinet material, former police officer Guy Jr Lapointe (Verchères) lands exactly where expected: domestic security. The same goes for AI specialist** Anne Nguyen** (Prévost), who will serve as Delegate Minister for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Affairs.

Nicolas Girard (Repentigny), who is returning to politics, takes on transport after many years working in transit agencies, including Quebec City’s. He will also be responsible for municipal affairs. Rumours had been circulating for several days, but the Montrealer also takes responsibility for the Capitale-Nationale region, left without a government MNA after the Conservative wave swept through.

The economic team earns its place

All four members of the economic team have secured a seat at the cabinet table.

Nicolas Marceau’s (Marie-Victorin) appointment had long been a foregone conclusion. He returns to finance, a portfolio he held from 2012 to 2014 in Pauline Marois’s short-lived government. He has his work cut out for him: balancing the province’s books a year ahead of schedule, in the middle of a trade war. He will also be responsible for infrastructure.

Former Montréal International president and CEO Stéphane Paquet (Pointe-aux-Trembles) becomes Minister of Economic Development, Innovation and Energy. As the only Montreal representative alongside Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, he automatically takes on responsibility for the metropolis.

Natalie Bisaillon (Marie-Lacoste-Gérin-Lajoie), who held off the Conservative wave in Centre-du-Québec, becomes minister of natural resources and forests.

Dieudonné Ella Oyono (Les Plaines) takes on international relations, a portfolio many had expected to go to former UN manager Sandra Hernandez (Taillon).

A fifth member joins this previously announced quartet. Economist Alain Therrien (Sanguinet), a former Parti Québécois MNA and Bloc Québécois MP, will have plenty to do as chair of Treasury Board. He will have to deliver on plans to shrink government, cut spending, and introduce legislation requiring senior public servants to lead by example and be accountable.

The surprises lie elsewhere

Although they had been expected to take on other roles, MNAs Joël Arseneau (Îles-de-la-Madeleine) and Marie-Karlynn Laflamme (Chicoutimi) have been handed the two largest portfolios: education and health, respectively, which together account for 55 per cent of the provincial budget. A veteran is therefore being tasked with organizing the Summit on Education while a trusted ally will be responsible for dismantling (or reforming) Santé Québec.

Another surprise comes in the environment portfolio, which goes to Trois-Rivières MNA Jean Pellerin, who will represent Mauricie.

Now the National Assembly’s longest-serving member, Pascal Bérubé (Matane-Matapédia-Mitis) takes on culture, communications, and the French language. Eastern Quebec will be well represented: alongside the Îles-de-la-Madeleine MNA, another PSPP protégée, Méganne Perry-Melançon (Gaspé), becomes Minister of Families, Youth, Recreation and Sports. On the Côte-Nord, Meggie Richard (Duplessis) takes responsibility for regions and land occupancy.

Amid a housing crisis, Elsie Lefebvre (Berthier) takes on housing, higher education, and the status of women. Marie-Claude Sarrazin (Groulx), the high-profile counsel at the Gallant commission, becomes minister of justice. In both cases, their cabinet appointments had been widely anticipated.

Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay (Saint-Hyacinthe), who is Wendat, is appointed to oversee relations with the First Nations and the Inuit. It will be interesting to see how the relationship develops between this minister and defeated MNA Pascal Paradis, newly appointed as a diplomat and chief negotiator, notably on Indigenous issues.

A quick look at the other appointments

• Bernard Sévigny, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
• Sébastien D’Astous, Minister Delegate for Government Efficiency and Regulatory Relief of the State
• Mathieu Lebrun, Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Solidarity
• Camille Pellerin-Forget, Minister Responsible for Democratic Institutions and Minister for Mental Health and Social Services
• Nadine Le Gal, Government Caucus Chair
• Wiliam Fradette, Chief Government Whip

Honey, I shrunk the cabinet

Offering a preview of the slimming down he wants for Quebec’s public sector, the premier has led by example, starting with his own cabinet. It now has 24 members, down from 28 under Christine Fréchette. In any event, minority status and deficit budgets tend to encourage governments to keep their cabinets smaller.

A smaller cabinet also means fewer places to go around. Several MNAs whose names had been floated for ministerial posts have been left out: doctors Élodie Murphy-Gauthier (Laviolette-Saint-Maurice) and Yohann St-Pierre (Rimouski), along with Sandra Hernandez (Taillon), Isabelle Millette (Papineau), and Stéphane Handfield (Masson).

The political calendar and the referendum timetable

While a new cabinet usually signals a fresh start, this government faces the same challenges as its predecessor: a deficit in the public finances, a tariff war, a housing crisis, rising homelessness, and a maintenance backlog in public infrastructure. Given the scale of the challenges facing Quebec, sovereignty will have to wait. Still, by assigning the file to a leading figure in his government, Catherine Gentilcore, the premier is signalling the importance he places on promoting independence.

Many Parti Québécois promises on immigration, health care, business support, and public finances could prove difficult to reconcile with what is actually achievable.

But the greatest threat facing this government is less about politics than time. A minority government cannot afford to wait.

Many put a government’s lifespan at 18 to 24 months. For a new government that has yet to suffer the wear and tear of power, that expiry date could come later. And that is where the political calendar and the referendum timetable will overlap. If the Parti Québécois government survives two budget cycles, unless it engineers its own defeat, that would take us into 2029. Well, well… exactly when a certain Donald Trump will have left the White House!

For help navigating this new government, contact your Public Affairs advisor at NATIONAL.