QUEBEC CITY -- Adjustments to the regional responsibilities of three Quebec ministers have led the opposition to say the Legault government is already starting to prepare for the next election campaign.

Premier Francois Legault went to the office of the lieutenant-governor Thursday afternoon and played some musical chairs with regard to the political responsibility of some regions.

Justice Minister and MNA for Borduas Simon Jolin-Barrette will henceforth be responsible for the Monteregie, replacing Christian Dube.

Environment Minister Benoit Charrette, MNA for Deux-Montagnes, will now be responsible for Laval, which was previously represented by Finance Minister Eric Girard.

Finally, Tourism Minister Caroline Proulx, MNA for Berthier, will be responsible for the Lanaudiere region, in place of Economy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon.

The opposition parties concluded that the government is shifting its pawns in anticipation of the next election in two years.

"It only means one thing: we are preparing the electoral campaign," said Liberal MNA Gaetan Barrette.

Quebec Solidaire (QS) member for Hochelaga-Maisonneuve Alexandre Leduc also said he believes the announced changes have an "electoral" aim.

He said he was "sad" to see the government already starting to position itself, "while we are in the midst of a pandemic, that our priority should rather be to manage the issue, to manage an orderly return to school, to ensure that everyone world is making an effort in this direction."

Leduc said that by making these changes, Legault is seeking to "give the illusion that the government cares about the regions."

The PQ member for Iles-de-la-Madeleine, Joel Arseneau, criticized the premier above all for not having taken the opportunity to relieve Marie-Eve ​​Proulx, member for Cote-du-Sud (Montmagny), who is responsible for a very large territory: Chaudiere-Appalaches, Bas-St-Laurent, Gaspesie and Iles-de-la-Madeleine.

"The opportunity was ideal" to correct the situation, according to Arseneau, who was perplexed by the premier's decision.

"We do not understand why the premier persists in bringing together regions which are so large, with such different needs, under the responsibility of a single minister," he said.

With some exceptions, the vast Bas-St-Laurent, Gaspésie and Iles-de-la-Madeleine region is a PQ stronghold.

Jolin-Barrette reacted by saying that he did not share the opposition's reading on the electoral aims of the announcement.

"It's a bit unfortunate that perception," he said during a brief scrum.

Already one of the government's main ministers, Jolin-Barrette was assigned additional responsibilities on Thursday, becoming responsible for Access to Information and the protection of personal information. He has no shortage of mandates, being also Justice minister, Leader of the Government, responsible for the Charter of the French Language, responsible for Secularism and Parliamentary Reform, not to mention his role as MNA for Borduas and now Monteregie.

In a news release, Legault explained his gesture by saying that he wanted to release his ministers who were at the forefront of the fight against the pandemic: Dube (Health), Pierre Fitzgibbon (Economy) and Eric Girard (Finance).

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 20, 2020.