2023-10-25 13:57:00
(Quebec) With the support of François Legault, Christian Dubé maintains the hard line and does not intend to go further in the amendments made Tuesday to his imposing reform project, despite the dissatisfaction of six ex- prime ministers. On the contrary, the Liberals and PQ asked him to listen to them.
The Minister of Health presented a series of amendments to give more powers to establishment boards (which will be replaced in his reform by establishment boards) and clarify the process of granting donations to foundations. This exit came following six former prime ministers of Quebec had pressured Mr. Dubé to make changes to his reform.
However, the proposed arrangements do not satisfy the former elected officials, who chose to address François Legault directly on Tuesday. In an open letter, published in several media on Wednesday, they are opposed to hospitals and university institutes being “merged” into Santé Québec, the new state corporation created by the Dubé reform.
The missive is signed by Pauline Marois, Lucien Bouchard, Jean Charest, Philippe Couillard, Daniel Johnson and Pierre Marc Johnson.
“We think that what is proposed by Christian [Dubé], it allows us to protect the money that is raised by research and where that money will go, but we absolutely want to protect the power of the Ministry of Health, possibly of Santé Québec,” argued the Prime Minister upon his arrival. during question period on Wednesday. “It’s not true that at the end of the day, it’s the board of directors that will decide, let’s say at the Heart Institute, what we give ourselves as a priority,” said he added.
Hot on his heels during question period, Mr. Legault spoke of “the resistance” to changes by certain boards of directors within institutes and university centers to keep their “small power”.
When he arrived in Parliament on Wednesday, Minister Dubé essentially made it known that he would not make any new changes to his reform. He reaffirmed that he had the support of the Prime Minister to move forward with the creation of Santé Québec. Bill 15 creates this new state corporation, which will become the sole employer of the health and social services network.
“I told Mr. [Lucien] Bouchard, I have two objectives, namely to improve coordination in the network and at the same time, I am ready to move on the foundations to protect them. Do we agree on everything? The answer is no,” argued Mr. Dubé, recalling that he had to “find a balance for the patient.”
Minister Dubé explained the day before that he wanted to find “a correct compromise” which would not “distort” his bill to maintain its objective of improving coordination between establishments (through Santé Québec) and arrive at the same time time to “protect the identity of these groups”.
This extremely rare outing caused a stir in the corridors of the National Assembly. “I have never seen Lucien Bouchard ally with Jean Charest. I have never seen Pauline Marois ally with Philippe Couillard,” said Liberal MP André Fortin.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Andre Fortin
“It’s an important precedent and they’re not doing it because they want to, […] they do it because it is major and it will have a major impact on patients. Therein lies the issue,” added the MP for Pontiac, who believes that Mr. Dubé “has a duty to listen to them”. According to him, the changes made by Mr. Dubé remain “the same thing” with a new name.
On Tuesday, Mr. Dubé proposed that “the functions and powers” of the boards of directors relating to “teaching, research and innovation” be delegated to the governing boards and not to Santé Québec. The name “establishment boards”, initially provided for in the bill, would be replaced by “establishment boards of directors” in order to reflect their new functions, it was indicated. Powers relating to philanthropic activities would instead be entrusted to the CEOs of the establishment.
A “centralizing” reform
Like the PLQ, the Parti Québécois believes that Minister Dubé is preparing to commit “a major error” which will have “impacts for years and years”.
“The bureaucratic machine wants to absorb university centers, research institutes which operate with the aim of centralization, and we know that this will create a kind of sclerosis of these research centers and that is what is needed for everything. price avoid,” lamented PQ MP Joël Arseneau. He asks Mr. Dubé to “create a specific category” for these eight establishments.
“Our first concern is that the world in Quebec has health care,” expressed the parliamentary leader of Québec solidaire, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois. “ [Il faut que] the system is not an ultracentralized bureaucratic monster. There must be a form of local power,” he added, indicating that “the space” between the caregiver and the manager must “stop growing.”
“This distance has continued to grow over the last 10, 15 years because of the reforms of these prime ministers who want to give us their opinions today,” he retorted.
With Tommy Chouinard
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