The health state of emergency has been partially lifted in Quebec.
With Bill 28, Health Minister Christian Dubé was supposed to end the state of health emergency.
Officially, it ended Wednesday, but in fact, Bill 28 allows the government to extend the exceptional powers conferred on it by the health state of emergency for more than two years.
Between now and the end of its mandate in October, the Legault government will be able to continue to govern by decree, and to award contracts by mutual agreement, without a call for tenders, which can be extended for five years.
It will also be able to bypass the collective agreements in place in the health network, and suspend or modify the working conditions of unionized staff.
That explains why all opposition parties voted against the legislation, even though they had long called for an end to the state of health emergency.
- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 1, 2022
