Quebec MNA Youri Chassin leaves the CAQ ship

Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin announced Thursday he's leaving the Coalition Avenir Quebec to sit as an Independent, becoming the second member of government to quit in a little more than one week.

Chassin's announcement came hours after he wrote an open letter published in local media criticizing Premier Francois Legault's party for abandoning its principles of smaller government.

In the letter published in Le Journal de Montreal and Le Journal de Quebec, Chassin accused the CAQ of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.

"I was afraid that Quebec would become the republic of the status quo … but the CAQ was going to change that, Chassin told reporters Thursday in Quebec City after announcing his departure.

"And, unfortunately, the energy and audacity needed to shake up the status quo seem to have dissipated."

Chassin, who was part of the CAQ's conservative wing, said public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.

An economist by training, Chassin was director of research at the Montreal Economic Institute, a right-leaning think tank, before entering politics. Elected in the Saint-Jerome riding when the CAQ rose to power in 2018, Chassin was re-elected in 2022 when the party won 90 out of 125 ridings.

"Whether we're talking about education, housing, emergencies, courts, daycares and so on, the citizens who are among the most taxed in North America are struggling to receive services when they need them," Chassin wrote.

He said he delivered a similar message to caucus colleagues in Rimouski, Que., last week and met Legault on Wednesday, but didn't hear the response he was hoping for from the premier.

"I need to feel that we are ready to return to the audacity we had in the first mandate," Chassin said, referring to such things as the secularism bill, the deregulation of the taxi industry, the abolishment of school boards, and cuts in income taxes.

For his part, Legault said he wasn't surprised with Chassin's decision.

He summed up the disagreements between them over two main issues. The first, the premier said, is the province's health-care reform that wasn't going fast enough for Chassin, who was a parliamentary assistant to the health minister. Negotiations with doctors and nurses require patience, Legault said.

The other is the deficit, which grew because of big raises for public sector employees last winter and an income tax cut that was promised by Legault's party during the 2022 election.

"I think the more responsible position is to come back and erase this deficit over five years," Legault said. "I would like to see a lower deficit, but I think I don't want to cut services and I don't want to increase income taxes."

He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.

Last April, Eric Lefebvre, the government whip, left to sit as an Independent because he intends to join Pierre Poilievre's federal Conservatives. In July 2023, Joelle Boutin quit the party and her Quebec City riding of Jean-Talon was captured by the Parti Quebecois in a subsequent byelection.

Chassin said he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term. He has represented the Saint-Jerome riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.

Even with Chassin's departure, the Coalition Avenir Quebec holds 86 of the 125 seats in the provincial legislature, with the Liberals at 19, Quebec solidaire at 12 and the PQ with four.

There are now three Independents, and Fitzgibbon's riding of Terrebonne, north of Montreal, is vacant.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Sept. 12, 2024.