Quebec Premier François Legault maintains that Sophie Brochu's resignation as president of Hydro-Québec is unrelated to any dispute with his government.
In his first 2023 meeting with media on Wednesday, the day after Brochu announced her unexpected resignation, Legault insisted it was a "personal choice."
While he endorsed Brochu's comments that Quebec should not become the "Dollarama" of energy by offering its clean electricity at a discount, he also reiterated his vision of using Quebec's energy to attract investment and create wealth.
He emphasized his desire to close the wealth gap between Quebec and Ontario, highlighting investment opportunities as an opportunity to narrow that gap.
The challenge now, Legault said, is to find someone to replace Brochu. He said the ideal candidate should be "in development mode" since Hydro-Québec must increase its production capacity by 50 per cent in the coming years.
He also specified that this person should have experience managing a large company, but didn't mention the need for expertise in the energy field.
Legault said he wants to focus on the electrification of Quebec, its businesses and its transportation in the coming months. He intends to meet next week with the leaders of the four opposition parties, including Conservative leader Eric Duhaime, to discuss this issue.
He has also put inflation, health care, education and labour shortages at the top of his agenda for 2023.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Jan. 11, 2023.
