The Minister of Health and Social Services, Christian Dubé, summoned the press on Wednesday at 12:15 p.m. to present the legislative document, which will be tabled the same day in the National Assembly.
Recently appointed Deputy Ministerthe director of the Quebec vaccination campaign against COVID-19, Daniel Paré, will also be present.
The text that the two men will present aims first and foremost to lift the state of health emergency. But it could also authorize the government to retain certain powers in connection with the pandemic.
Currently, the measure makes it possible, for example, to circumvent collective agreements in the health network or to award contracts without a call for tenders.
Two years of emergency
Quebec declared a state of emergency on March 14, 2020.two days after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the new coronavirus was the source ofa global pandemic.
Since then, the Legault government has renewed this exceptional measure every 10 days, by decree – a way of doing things widely decried by the opposition parties in the National Assembly.
They also expressed their doubts about the merits of the bill on Tuesday morning, when all the deputies returned to the National Assembly, a first for nearly two years.
Is there a transition law on lifting the health emergency in other jurisdictions? Do we need to have one here in Quebec?
asked liberal leader Dominique Anglade.
The Legault government cannot give back through the back door what he wanted to give himself through the front door, i.e. absolute power
underlined for his part the spokesperson for Quebec solidaire in terms of health, Vincent Marissal.
What is QAC [Coalition avenir Québec] is trying to do when it artificially maintains governance by decree and the awarding of contracts without competitive bidding? Why make it complicated when it can be simple?
exclaimed PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.
As for Prime Minister François Legault, he has always insisted that he could not lift the state of emergency earlier, because it was necessary to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nearly $13 billion in over-the-counter contracts
The Liberal opposition also accused the Legault government on Tuesday of having abused the state of health emergency, which allows Quebec to award contracts worth more than $ 100,000 without a call for tenders.
Because, according to data compiled by the Montreal Journalthe government has awarded $13 billion in contracts by mutual agreement since March 2020, whereas before the CAQ came to power, Quebec awarded an average of $1.8 billion in contracts without competition per year.
Speaking during question period in the afternoon, Liberal Gaétan Barrette denounced the use excessive
of the law, especially since several of the contracts awarded without a call for tenders were not at all related to the state of emergency.
The CAQ has developed with regard to over-the-counter an addiction
, a problem she has to get out of
did he declare.
This type of contract it’s expensive
, also underlined the member for La Pinière. However, the Legault government, according to him, should make everything [pour] that taxpayers’ money be managed tightly
when Quebec families have to tighten their belts because of inflation
.
Liberal MP Gaétan Barrette criticizes the government for awarding too many contracts without competition in the past two years.
Photo: The Canadian Press / Jacques Boissinot
Treasury Board President Sonia LeBel responded that urgency
, health
and Security
had motivated the use of the provisions of the law relating to the state of health emergency.
Quebecers expected that, in the last two years, we could respond in terms of personal protective equipment, that we could respond for the health and safety of workers, the health and safety of Quebecers
she said.
Ms. LeBel also cited a report by the Treasury Board Secretariat, which would show that the rate of contracts offered without competition remained around 20% before and during the pandemic.
With information from Alex Boissonneault