CAQ government has difficulty seeing how it could do better in Quebec's regions

Quebec Minister for the Economy, Minister Responsible for the Fight Against Racism Christopher Skeete responds to the Opposition during question period, at the legislature in Quebec City, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

Quebec Minister for the Economy Christopher Skeete said he finds it hard to see how his government could do better in the regions.

He was responding to Liberal regional economic development critic André Fortin during a question-and-answer session in the Salon Bleu on Friday.

Fortin was asking him about the challenges facing the regions, including the pork and forestry industries.

The Liberal MNA criticized the fact that the minister responsible for regional economic development, Pierre Fitzgibbon, did not attend the questioning, preferring to send his colleague: Skeete.

 The latter defended the Coalition Aavenir Québec (CAQ) record in the regions and attacked the "credibility" of the Liberal Party, which has only managed to elect one MNA outside Montreal (Fortin).

Skeete said Friday's questioning was reminiscent of "a young person reading a book about Italy and trying to tell us what the mountains of Tuscany look like."

As for the CAQ's actions in the regions, "I can't see what could be done better," said the minister.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 26, 2023.