Legault to shuffle cabinet next week, postpones start of parliamentary session

The cabinet shuffle announced this summer by Premier François Legault will take place next week. To allow the new ministers to familiarize themselves with their portfolios, the start of the parliamentary session has been postponed by two weeks, until Sept. 30.

This marks the first time the Legault government has shuffled the cabinet since the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is very significant in so far as he wants Quebecers to say that he is in tune, but it’s much like shuffling the chairs on the deck of the Titanic. OK, so we move things around and then it’s still the same sinking ship,” said political analyst Karim Boulos in an interview with CityNews.

“There’s still a lot of a lot of resentment about Northvolt, about what’s going on now with the Gallant Commission on this — ridiculous amount of spending on the SAAQclic app. Anglophones and Allophones are frustrated at Bill 96 and Bill 21. His government has made a series of questionable decisions, and he’s imposed things on Quebecers that I think he’s trying to soften his image by saying, ‘Let me rethink my approach.”

Additionally, the move also comes a year before the next provincial election, and Boulos isn’t sure if it will help the CAQ.

“I think at this point we’re looking at maybe two, three seats that might be conserved in the next election. I don’t think the CAQ’s time, I think the CAQ’s time has come. I don’t think that anything he can do at his point will change people’s opinion. It’s not as if the Northvolt thing is going to be fixed,” said Boulos.

“It’s not like we’re going to fix the SAAQclic hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars going out the window by a government supposedly run by accountants who should know better. And so I think at this point it’s almost irrelevant, but it’s something that he needs to do. The only cabinet shuffle that Quebecers are expecting is for him to be replaced.”

The CAQ caucus, scheduled to meet next week in Thetford Mines, has therefore been postponed.

“The CAQ is in freefall. They’re plummeting in the polls. We’re seeing that they’re having a difficult time attracting anybody’s support. I don’t know that their grassroots or their local movements that actually got them elected in the first place is going to stand by them in this one,” said Boulos.

“So I think he needs to show that he’s listened to his citizens — he’s listened to Quebecers. And the last byelection was a very loud and rude awakening. He has to react. He has to react with some kind of shift to show that change is being made and that the party is in tune with what Quebecers want.”

In a written statement, the Premier’s Office stated that “this will be an opportunity to give new impetus to the government team and make room for new ideas to advance the government’s priorities.”

“The Premier promised changes. In recent weeks, he has consulted with citizens, his MNAs, and his ministers to prepare for the next steps and better meet the needs of Quebecers. These changes will begin next week with a cabinet shuffle,” the statement added.

The long-awaited reshuffle will therefore take place a few days after Legault’s testimony before the Gallant Commission on the SAAQclic fiasco and the announcement of the demise of the Northvolt project.

During his testimony before Judge Denis Gallant, Legault attributed ultimate responsibility for the SAAQclic fiasco to his Ministers of Transportation, Geneviève Guilbault and François Bonnardel.

On Wednesday, the two Legault government ministers offered no comment to reporters.

As for the overall shuffle, some Ministers are expected to be on the chopping block, according to Boulos.

“There are many high-profile ministers. I mean, we look at Bonardel, Guilbault, Roberge. I think that there’s a lot of people who are probably sitting on ejectable seats. And so he needs to show that there’s a fresh wind of change coming in.”

Andrée Laforest to run for Mayor of Saguenay

This news comes the same day that Minister of Municipal Affairs Andrée Laforest announced Thursday that she will run for mayor of Saguenay in the municipal elections to be held on Nov. 2.

His hasty departure will force Premier Legault to call a byelection within six months, as the next general election is not scheduled for Oct. 2026.

Later Thursday, the Premier’s Office announced that Housing Minister France-Élaine Duranceau will take over as Minister of Municipal Affairs following Laforest’s departure.

“That will trigger another byelection,” said Boulos. “And the last two byelections didn’t go very well for Mr. Legault. I’m sure he’s not excited about the prospect of yet another defeat less than a year out from an election.”

Legault will have his work cut out for him to present an image of renewal to Quebecers. His government is plummeting in the polls.

According to the polling aggregator Qc125, if the election were held today, the Coalition avenir Québec would win between zero and three seats. It currently holds 86.

Since coming to power in 2018, Legault has made only one major cabinet reshuffle, in 2020, during the pandemic.

He replaced Danielle McCann at Health with Christian Dubé and appointed Sonia LeBel to the Treasury Board, among others.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews