She is discreet, disciplined. She is neither flamboyant nor particularly charismatic. Above all, in front of the cameras, she is extremely cautious.
We can say that Christine Fréchette is the anti-Fitzgibbon.
A politically ideal choice to make people forget the turbulent “king of deals”.
A second woman, alongside Sonia LeBel, in the privileged circle of economic ministries. Enough to confirm that François Legault is less of an uncle than he seems.
Certainly, he does not drape himself in feminist virtue like others. He identifies talented women and gives them a chance.
But as she inherits a mission as crucial as it is perilous, the question now is whether Christine Fréchette has the unfortunate privilege of having been placed on the edge of a glass cliff.
Mission impossible?
Because while many women have broken the glass ceiling, another danger awaits them: that of being promoted in the middle of a storm with the risk of failure that comes with it.
Think of Pauline Marois, who inherited a Parti Québécois in crisis following the tumultuous reign of André Boisclair.
Think of Kim Campbell in the late Mulroney years, or Theresa May leading a Britain torn apart by Brexit.
We are not here in the smoky theories of female victimization. Even the prestigious magazine Forbes and the Harvard Business Review have recorded the phenomenon.
François Legault, the economic developer, may admire the political talent of his new superminister, but will he give her the room to maneuver she deserves? Especially at the dawn of a period of economic stagnation?
To dare
But research also shows that women who take on these risky jobs are also more likely to dare to take risks. Most importantly, they have a flair for taking the right risk at the right time.
Think of Margaret Thatcher, who was underestimated but emerged as the Iron Lady. We would even dare to mention Sonia LeBel, who inherited the Treasury Board in the midst of a pandemic.
Unlike the “mean girl” who has mastered the absolute art of politics, the “top of the class”» does not just study her files. She dares to doubt, she reflects, she weighs. She has learned to choose her battles and knows that to win them, she must forge alliances.
This is the challenge that Christine Fréchette will have to take up.
Because to make her mark as superminister of Economy and Energy, she will not only be able to survive the parliamentary commission on the Energy bill.
She will have to build her credibility and establish her authority. This will mean, among other things, fighting against the worst instincts of François Legault, who prefers to oversimplify debates on the altar of political calculation.
The woman who was able to play the balancing act on the immigration file will have to do the same on the energy future of Quebec.
That means freeing herself from the complex that the Prime Minister gave her a gift. Convincing herself and the rest of Quebec that she really does have both hands on the wheel.
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