Bill 15: Quebec to invoke closure to pass health reform
Posted December 8, 2023 1:48 pm.
Last Updated December 8, 2023 1:50 pm.
After trying to reach an agreement with the opposition parties, the Legault government will finally invoke closure to pass its major health reform.
More than 200 hours were devoted to studying the imposing Bill 15, noted Premier François Legault on his way to the Salon bleu on Friday morning.
“It’s been 238 hours since (Health Minister) Christian Dubé listened to the opposition’s suggestions. Do you think it’ll take much longer?” he asked.
The government had proposed extending the detailed study of Bill 15 for four days next week, an “admission” that more time is needed, according to Québec solidaire (QS) MP Guillaume Cliche-Rivard.
Last week, Dubé admitted that he didn’t understand an amendment he himself had tabled affecting the English-speaking community. He had to back down on this amendment, after Liberal MP André Fortin intervened.
The closure, which will be triggered at around 3 p.m. on Friday, will speed up the debate and allow the bill to be passed without all the articles having been studied.
Bill 15 would create the Santé Québec agency, responsible for coordinating network operations. The ministry would concentrate on defining the major orientations.
The Agence Santé Québec would become the single employer for the health and social services network, integrating the CISSS and CIUSSS.
Because there would be a single employer, union certifications would be merged. There would also be a single seniority list, allowing staff to move from one region to another.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Dec. 8, and translated by CityNews.
