Sonia Bélanger to be next Quebec health minister after Dubé resigns

QUEBEC — With Premier François Legault conceding the loss of his long-time Health Minister Christian Dubé comes as a setback, he plans to move rapidly to replace him.

It is a formality but Legault will visit the province’s lieutenant-governor Friday morning to adjust his cabinet, promoting his Social Affairs Minister Sonia Bélanger as Quebec’s new health minister.

Bélanger is also minister responsible for seniors and caregivers.

A nurse in her previous life, Bélanger is a former director-general of the CIUSS du Centre-Sud-de-Île-de-Montréal regional health authority.

The MNA for Prévost, she made the leap into politics in the 2022 general election.

Bélanger inherits the job of re-writing Bill 2, the law dictating a salary structure for Quebec’s doctors, so it reflects the tentative agreement reached last week with the province’s family doctors.

Dubé quit the Coalition Avenir Québec government Thursday to sit as an independent in the legislature.

In a stinging parting letter, Dubé said he did not feel he was the right person to re-write the law now that it is being changed so radically. In his opinion, the new agreement is closer to the status quo than the step forward.

The resignation came as a serious political setback for Legault, who had personally become involved in the negotiations with the doctors.

After an initial polite reaction to the resignation, Legault issued another message on social media Friday, conceding Dubé’s departure comes as a blow.

“I took another hard hit Thursday afternoon,” Legault wrote. “Christian Dubé announced that he was resigning from his post of minister of health. He also announced his intention to sit as an independent to not be a distraction to the government. I respect his decision and accept his resignation.

“Politics is rough on a human level. When we are premier, the interests of Quebecers has to come first. It’s a heavy price to pay but nobody obliges us to assume the function of premier and the responsibilities which go with the job. Christian Dubé has assumed the responsibility for certain errors and that is honourable.”

This story will be updated.

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