Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital: Pressure increases on Legault government

The Legault government has come under fire from opposition parties demanding a start date for renovations at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital. The issue monopolized a large portion of question period in the Red Room at the National Assembly on Tuesday.  

“They tabled their seventh budget last March and they are incapable of having a minimum of control over public finances and incapable of providing essential services to the population. (…) This is the image of the premier’s failure in health care. Everyone is asking: will he start work this spring?” said interim Quebec Liberal Party leader Marc Tanguay. 

Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, in Montreal’s east end, has been in the news for several days due to the postponement of renovations and its dilapidated state. Media reports have included water leaks, elevator malfunctions, and squirrels inside the facility. 

“Without a soul”

Québec solidaire (QS) accused the Premier François Legault of abandoning the hospital modernization project “without a second thought.”

“And today, we have another example that proves to us how much the premier doesn’t care about Montreal. (…) He’s going to talk to me about the lamentable state of public finances. It’s not up to Montreal patients to pay for the CAQ’s waste,” said QS spokesperson Ruba Ghazal. 

According to PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) is “going back on its word” regarding the Maisonneuve-Rosemont hospital. 

“The CAQ promised to start in 2021, then in 2024 and then this summer. (…) I will never accept abandoning the citizens of east Montreal and treating them like second-class citizens,” assured the PQ leader. 

“It’s urgent”

The government defended itself by listing investments in other infrastructure projects. 

“We’re looking at priorities. This year, there will be $19 billion in infrastructure. There’s a lot of work to be done in several hospitals. And yes, it’s urgent to work on the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, and it will be done as quickly as possible,” said Legault Tuesday during question period. 

After announcing the postponement of the project at the end of March, Health Minister Christian Dubé has committed to completing the renovation project before the end of his term in October 2026. 

“We are doing everything possible to be able to start this project as quickly as possible. There are all sorts of ways to do the right things while respecting Quebecers’ ability to pay,” he said Tuesday. 

The latest CAQ budget forecasts a deficit of $13.6 billion. 

Infrastructure Minister Jonathan Julien defended himself by saying that “everything could not be repaired in a single year.”

“It’s a question of priorities. And again, there are 38 major health projects currently underway. We talked about the Vaudreuil hospital, we talked about the Enfant Jésus hospital, there are 38 of them underway,” he insisted. 

On Monday, the Legault government was also criticized for postponing the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital reconstruction project during a summit on economic development in East Montreal.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews