Pierre Fitzgibbon: ‘Leaving with his head held high and a sense of accomplishment’

“Superminister” Pierre Fitzgibbon confirmed his departure from the political world on Wednesday morning, saying he was leaving with his head held high, and a sense of accomplishment.

“The results are there, the Quebec economy is doing well (…) and it’s time for me to move on,” he declared during a press conference on the sidelines of the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) caucus in Rimouski.

After six years as the Economy Minister, Fitzgibbon no longer had the motivation to continue. “Let’s just say I felt a certain decline, for no specific reason,” he said.

Fitzgibbon would have preferred to stay until December, but Prime Minister François Legault asked him to leave immediately to avoid him becoming a distraction for the government.

“It becomes difficult in terms of legitimacy when we announce that we are eventually leaving. I was not comfortable with that,” added Legault during the press conference.

Premier Legault had confirmed earlier Fitzgibbon’s departure, is a hard blow for the CAQ. He was the Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, in addition to being responsible for Regional Economic Development and the Montreal region.

Fitzgibbon’s resignation will force Legault to reshuffle his cabinet and call a by-election in Terrebonne, at a time when Paul St-Pierre Plamondon’s Parti Québécois is leading in the polls.

On Wednesday, Fitzgibbon defended himself against breaking the moral contract with his Terrebonne voters. “Honestly, six years, I feel very good about myself,” he concluded.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews