Fifteen groups have been invited to comment on Bill 28, which aims to end the state of health emergency in Quebec.
The bill was widely criticized when it was tabled because it extends some of the government’s extraordinary powers until Dec. 31, 2022.
Health Minister Christian Dubé explained that the government wants to be able to continue to use different vaccinators, as well as have access to certain data and maintain contracts that were signed during the pandemic.
“We need the bill to ensure a transition that I would call prudent and responsible,” Dubé said at a news conference last week.
On Thursday, deputy government house leader Éric Caire announced the bill will be reviewed in special consultations on March 31, April 6 and April 7.
MNAs will hear from Daniel Paré, associate deputy minister for the health ministry, and Dr. Luc Boileau, assistant deputy minister and acting public health director.
Law professors, CEOs, the Ligue des droits et libertés, the Conseil interprofessionnel du Québec, the Barreau du Québec and various unions will present their views.
Declared on March 13, 2020, the state of health emergency has given full powers to the Legault government, which has bypassed collective agreements and awarded contracts without a call for tenders, among other things.
This way of managing Quebec has been repeatedly criticized by the opposition parties and many experts as a form of abuse of power and a denial of democracy.
Liberal leader Dominique Anglade has called Bill 28 a “charade,” while Quebec Conservative Party leader Éric Duhaime says it’s a “sham.”
Québec Solidaire health spokesperson Vincent Marissal also sees it as a “sham.”
In addition, many unions have denounced the bill as a “marketing operation.”
— This report was first published in French by The Canadian Press on March 24, 2022.
