Premier designate Francois Legault, centre, is congratulated by Louis-Hebert MNA Genevieve Guilbault (left), as Coalition Avenir Quebec members pose for a picture after they were sworn in as members of the National Assembly on Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018 at the legislature in Quebec City.Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press
Quebec has sworn in its most inexperienced cabinet in decades, but Premier François Legault is betting that fresh eyes, communications skills and other experience will make up for lack of veteran political savvy in Coalition Avenir Québec ranks.
Mr. Legault presented a cabinet on Thursday of 13 women and 13 men who have substantial business credentials, some years in public service, but far less time in politics and hardly any experience running ministries. Besides Mr. Legault, who served in cabinet 20 years ago under Parti Québécois premier Lucien Bouchard, Marguerite Blais, who has the seniors portfolio, was in a Liberal cabinet.
“Our team is special for the number of ministers who have never been minister. Other than Marguerite and I, every minister has the job for the first time,” Mr. Legault said, breaking into a chuckle and an exaggerated nervous cringe during his first speech as Premier. “But I don’t see that as a disadvantage. On the contrary. The government needs renewal, with new faces and new eyes.”
One of the most important jobs went to one of the youngest members of the team. As House Leader, Simon Jolin-Barrette, 31, will be charged with shepherding government legislation through the National Assembly and is also in charge of the government’s sensitive files aimed at preserving the French language and Quebec culture.
He is also Immigration Minister, and will be in charge of cutting immigration quotas and imposing values and language tests on new arrivals. And it will fall on him within the year to draft a law to ban religious symbols for civil servants such as judges, police officers and teachers. “The government was elected with a clear mandate on secularism,” Mr. Legault said in the speech, in which he outlined his priorities. “We promised to ban religious signs among government employees in positions of authority. We will respect our promise.”
Every new government brings a share of rookies, but it has been 42 years since a cabinet was this raw. The Parti Québécois had at least six ministers with cabinet experience when it formed a minority government in 2012, after nearly 10 years in opposition. When Jean Charest came to power in 2003, he had five former ministers and at least 10 other long-time MNAs in cabinet. It is necessary to go back to the election of the fledgling Parti Québécois in 1976 to find a Quebec government with such a vast team of neophytes.
Rookie MNA Éric Girard, a former treasurer at the National Bank of Canada, was named Finance Minister. He inherits healthy public finances and a strong economy, but he and Mr. Legault have stated an ambitious agenda to turn Quebec into a national leader and get the province off federal equalization payments in 15 years. Mr. Legault put an immediate spotlight on him: “I do not accept Quebec isn’t as rich as the rest of Canada,” Mr. Legault said. “Éric, get ready.”
After the ceremony, Mr. Girard said he will likely deliver an economic update before Christmas. “Quebec has momentum and we want to bring it to a new level,” he said.
Quebec business groups applauded Mr. Legault’s economic team, which also includes business executive Pierre Fitzgibbon as Economy Minister and Treasury Board Chair Christian Dubé, who was a senior vice-president at the Caisse de Dépot.
Sonia LeBel, the former prosecutor who was a daily fixture on Quebec television during the Charbonneau corruption inquiry, becomes Justice Minister and is in charge of Intergovernmental Affairs.
Another key post, Deputy Premier, went to Geneviève Guilbault, 35, who became an immediate CAQ star a year ago when she won a difficult by-election in the Quebec City area. She came to politics after working as chief spokesperson for the Quebec coroner, a role in which she handled briefings after the Lac Mégantic rail disaster.
The National Assembly’s ornate Red Chamber, used for solemn occasions such as cabinet oaths, was packed with children for the swearing-in – a testament to the youth of Mr. Legault’s team.
Ms. Guilbault’s young daughter broke the silence in the public gallery as her mother took her oath: “That’s my girl,” the minister said before carrying on with her promise to carry out her cabinet duties faithfully.
Family Minister Mathieu Lacombe’s two preschool-aged sons broke up the room as they shouted over Mr. Lacombe’s proclamation. He laughed, waved and tried to carry on before the boys joined him at the podium. Lieutenant-Governor J. Michel Doyon held one of the boys as Mr. Lacombe signed the official documents.