Premier Legault to make ministerial 'adjustment' Thursday to replace Fitzgibbon

Quebec Premier Francois Legault and Pierre Fitzgibbon arrive fora news conference in Rimouski, Que. on Wednesday, Sept.4, 2024. Fitzgibbon announced his resignation on Tuesday. (Jacques Boissinot, The Canadian Press)

On Thursday afternoon, Quebec will find out who will inherit the ministerial functions of "superminister" Pierre Fitzgibbon, who announced his departure from political life Wednesday.

After the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) pre-sessional caucus closing news conference, scheduled for 12:30 p.m. in Rimouski, Premier François Legault will head to Quebec City to make a ministerial "adjustment."

When journalists asked him who will succeed Fitzgibbon on Wednesday, Legault was tight-lipped with comments, asking them to wait until the official announcement on Thursday afternoon.

Behind the scenes, the name of the current Minister of Immigration, Christine Fréchette, is circulating as a potential candidate to succeed Fitzgibbon as Minister of Economy and Energy.

Before making the leap into politics in the 2022 general election, Fréchette was President and CEO of the East Montreal Chamber of Commerce from 2016 to 2021 and Director of External and Institutional Relations at Montréal International from 2014 to 2016.

The person chosen to succeed Fitzgibbon will have to lead, among other things, the study of Bill 69 on energy, which is set to begin next week in the National Assembly.

Questioned Wednesday in Rimouski, two bigwigs in the CAQ government, Eric Girard and Christian Dubé, said they did not want to take on the big portfolios of Economy and Energy, preferring to focus on their current responsibilities in Finance and Health, respectively.

The adjustment to the composition of the cabinet should take place at 3:20 p.m. in Quebec City, according to the premier's official schedule.

In addition to being Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, Fitzgibbon was also responsible for Regional Economic Development and the Montreal region.

I would be 'honoured'

Fréchette did not deny the information in an impromptu news conference in Rimouski.

"Listen, my name is circulating for a position, so if that is the premier's wish, I would be honoured. My goal is to work for the development of Quebec, whatever position I occupy," she said. "That is the premier's prerogative, so I invite you to follow the progress of the day."

According to the information circulating and which has not been denied, the Minister of the French Language and Canadian Relations, Jean-François Roberge, will also be entrusted with Immigration.

On Thursday, Roberge declared upon his arrival at the caucus that "the issues of the French language are extremely important and must live in many departments."

"We may see each other later," he added.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Sept. 5, 2024.