Legault getting sensitive doctor data through emergency powers is 'authoritarian,' Liberals say
Premier François Legault misused the decree power available to him in Quebec's state of health emergency when he used it to obtain information on family doctors, according to Liberal leader Dominique Anglade.
Anglade decried what she called an abuse of power on Thursday after Health Minister Christian Dubé admitted his government had obtained sensitive data on doctors, thanks in part to the state of emergency.
"We are facing an abuse of power," she said. "This is a blatant example of what should not be done in our democracy, and it should justify lifting this health emergency."
Legault said this week that he wanted to share with regional health authorities the names of doctors who are not working enough to satisfy him.
He hinted that he would also bypass the family physicians' union, the Fédération des médecins omnipraticiens du Québec (FMOQ), and raised the threat of penalties for a "minority" of doctors.
In a press scrum, Anglade criticized the premier for his "authoritarian" and "bulldozing" approach to the issue of negotiations with family doctors, which has nothing to do with COVID-19.
"The emergency decree allows extraordinary powers in an extraordinary situation. Here the premier, François Legault, decided to use the decree to obtain information," she said.
"He shouldn't be using that information the way he does, and that's why I'm saying it's an abuse of power," she said.
The Parti Québécois (PQ) said, for its part, that it is thinking of appealing to the Ethics Commissioner to get that office to shed light on the way in which the information on the doctors was obtained.
"There can be a drift if we use the law on health measures to circumvent the regular laws in a negotiation process," warned the PQ's parliamentary leader, Joël Arseneau.
Quebec Solidaire spokesperson Manon Massé reiterated her demand for the Legault government to adopt a transitional law to help it get out of the state of health emergency.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Oct. 28, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Robert Pickton to remain in medically induced coma until later this week: police
Serial killer Robert Pickton will remain in a medically induced coma for at least the next few days following an attack in a Quebec prison Sunday, according to police spokesperson Hugues Beaulieu.
Charlie Colin, founding member of the pop-rock band Train, dies at 58
Charlie Colin, bassist and founding member of the American pop-rock band Train, best known for their early-aughts hits like 'Drops of Jupiter' and 'Meet Virginia,' has died. He was 58.
'Five feet nothing': Pickton's safety likely behind Quebec transfer, says ex-prison judge
When serial killer Robert Pickton was transferred from British Columbia's Kent Institution to a maximum security prison in Quebec about six years ago, correctional authorities gave no public explanation or confirmation at the time, citing privacy.
'I feel betrayed': Ottawa-area customers out thousands of dollars warn of bad faith contractor
A group of people from eastern Ontario and western Quebec is issuing a warning about Dennis Walker and his company Vue Windows.
Fancy pigeon outfitted in custom diaper has free rein in B.C. family home
When Chrissy Chin volunteered to take in a fancy pigeon abandoned on a park bench, she never imagined she would one day be ordering custom-made diapers for the bird – who lives in her house and has become a member of the family.
'We'll need all hands on deck': Details emerge after deadly boat crash near Kingston
Police say they have wrapped up their on-scene investigation into a deadly boat crash in eastern Ontario as details of the incident begin to emerge.
WestJet planning new fare category for travellers willing to forgo carry-on bag
WestJet Airlines plans to launch a new cheaper fare category that would be available to travellers willing to fly without a carry-on bag.
5 dead and at least 35 hurt in Iowa tornado: officials
Five people died and at least 35 were hurt as powerful tornadoes ripped through Iowa Tuesday, with one carving a path of destruction through the town of Greenfield, officials said.
Woman found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017 matches identity of missing person in Switzerland
Genetic genealogy has helped Toronto police identify a woman who was found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017.