Laurent Lessard gets the transport hot seat
Lessard is the third person to hold the transport portfolio since 2014
Premier Philippe Couillard has turned to a political veteran to take charge of the volatile transport portfolio.
Laurent Lessard, who had been serving as minister of forests, wildlife and parks, will become the third transport minister since the Liberals were elected in 2014.
The move became necessary following Jacques Daoust's sudden decision on Friday to leave politics after questions were raised about his role in the sale of Quebec hardware chain Rona to U.S.-based Lowe's.
This is Couillard's third cabinet shuffle in less than a year. The premier stressed continuity in the government's agenda when making the announcement in Quebec City.
"What is important in terms of stability is that our government's plan remains the same and is being put into action," Couillard said in English.
"What did we say? We told Quebecers we would balance our accounts. We did so."
Lessard brings experience
Lessard occupied a number of cabinet position under former premier Jean Charest, most notably as minister of labour from 2005 to 2007, as minister of agriculture from 2007 to 2011 and as minister of municipal affairs from 2009 to 2012.
But since the Liberals returned to power in 2014 under Couillard, Lessard had been relegated to parks and wildlife, a comparatively minor portfolio.
Luc Blanchette will take over Lessard's former portfolio. The current minister of natural resources, Pierre Arcand, will add mines to his responsibilities. That position was formerly held by Blanchette.
"Mr. Lessard brings a lot of experience as a parliamentarian and as minister," Couillard said. "He's now holding his fifth cabinet position. He's very much in touch with the population of Quebec."
Questions remain about Rona deal
Even with Daoust now gone, it is unlikely the Liberal government will be able to avoid further questions about what it knew about the Rona transaction.
A series of emails surfaced in recent days that undermined Daoust's long-standing claim that he wasn't consulted about the transaction while minister of the economy, where he served before taking over the transport file.
The emails indicate, though, that his chief of staff at the time told Investissement Québec — the provincial development agency — that Daoust approved the sale of their 11.1 million Rona shares to Lowe's.
Couillard was asked on Saturday whether he himself was consulted about the sale.
"No," he said. "All the elements are known."
Quebec's opposition parties were not satisfied with Couillard's answer. They want to know why a minister's chief of staff was able to offer approval for the sale of the Rona shares.
"There is a problem in the chain of command," said Coalition Avenir Québec MNA François Bonnardel.
Both the CAQ and the Parti Québecois had called on the Liberal government to use Investissement Québec's stake in Rona to block its sale to an American corporation. Rona shareholders ultimately approved the takeover in vote held this spring.
"At the end of the line, the real responsibility for the sale of the Rona shares was with Mr. Couillard," said the interim PQ leader, Sylvain Gaudreault.
The next provincial election isn't scheduled until 2018, but Couillard is likely to hold a number of byelections in the coming months.
With Daoust's departure, there are now four vacant seats in the National Assembly.
Along with Daoust's Verdun riding, new MNAs are needed for former Parti Québécois leader Pierre Karl Péladeau's old riding of Saint-Jérôme, Marie-Victorin (once held by the PQ's Bernard Drainville, who left politics in June) and Arthabaska, held by the independent Sylvie Roy until her death last month.