QUEBEC CITY -- Quebec Premier François Legault will announce a new cabinet on Thursday, October 20 at 2 p.m.
As per tradition, newly-assigned cabinet members will be sworn in during a ceremony in the National Assembly Legislative Council Chamber, also known as the Red Room.
Until then, many newly elected or re-elected MNAs are waiting for the call to fill some of the most coveted jobs in provincial politics
The Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) has formed a majority government, occupying 90 of the 125 seats at the National Assembly. With only a handful of cabinet positions available, competition is fierce, and many members are sure to be disappointed.
In his first term, Legault formed a 26-member cabinet, which was the accepted norm and tradition. If this time, given the large number of members in his caucus, he chooses to have 30 or more ministers, he will likely be accused of squandering public funds and needlessly multiplying the number of chauffeur-driven ministerial vehicles and bodyguards.
Such was the case in 2002, when former Parti Québécois (PQ) Premier Bernard Landry caused an uproar at the end of his mandate by trying to buy peace in his caucus with no fewer than 36 limousines parading around parliament, an all-time record.
Forming a cabinet is a delicate and potentially perilous exercise, especially when the number of elected officials is very large, as it is now. Legault will have to find a balance between the number of female and male MNAs, and also between experienced elected officials and new recruits.
He'll also need to balance representation between the province's two city centres and the regions. That could pose a problem for the CAQ which, despite being extremely popular in the regions, received far less support in Montreal.
The leader of the government will also have to keep in mind which of his first mandate ministers performed well and which disappointed him. All of the first-term ministers who chose to serve a second term were re-elected. That leaves very little room to manoeuvre if he wants to avoid demoting anyone is his closest circle.
Only three seats have been vacated, with the decision of three former ministers to leave political life: Marguerite Blais (Seniors), Danielle McCann (Higher Education) and Nadine Girault (International Relations).
We already know that Christian Dubé will remain Minister of Health. We also expect to see Eric Girard inherit Finance once again and Pierre Fitzgibbon is expected to remain on the Economy file.
We also know that Jean Boulet will no longer be Minister of Immigration.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Oct. 12, 2022.
