The Santé Québec agency may not survive a possible Parti Québécois government, argued Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.
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The PQ leader was questioned about the relevance of the agency set up by the CAQ. He met the media at the opening of his party’s national council, which is being held in Victoriaville, and of which health is precisely the main theme.
“What worries me about Santé Québec is that we are in the process of [lui] give all the dirty work, all the difficult decisions,” PSPP mentioned. He refers to the cuts “of $1 billion, maybe $1.5 billion” that the new CEO, Geneviève Biron, wants to impose on the network. “We wash our hands of it, we have no answer to give, because it’s Santé Québec.”
“Everything is on the table”
When asked if he intends to put an end to the agency project, he replies that “everything is on the table on our side”.
“Let’s look at what Santé Québec is used to make a decision regarding this structure. But if it serves as a screen for cuts without the minister having to answer for a decision that is strictly political, I remain convinced. I’m not convinced.”
Financial audit
Furthermore, one of the proposals from one of the regional executives of the PQ was “that the national council mandate the political commission to study the possibility of setting up a complete external financial audit of the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) and the Quebec Health Agency.”
The political commission issued an unfavorable opinion, since there already exist mechanisms to ensure accountability in health, explained health critic Joël Arseneau. According to him, the creation of an agency does not allow the same daily accountability as when health is entirely under the control of the minister.
