Quebec
New Cabinet Signifies Stepped-Up Usurpation of the State by Narrow Supranational Private Interests
Quebec's new Premier, Christine Fréchette, presented her new cabinet on
April 21. This new cabinet signifies that the usurpation of the state
by narrow supranational private interests is being stepped up to the
detriment of the Quebec people's rights on every front.
First, Christine Fréchette echoed the sentiments of Premier Mark Carney for the restructuring of the state: Quebec's international market must be diversified, we must be less dependent on the U.S., we must further encourage our local businesses, and we must strengthen security against foreign interference. The conception of security is one which demands total subservience to the decisions taken at a ministerial level which brook no opposition on the part of the working class and people.
Foreign interference refers to what are called threatening economies such as China and Russia, but never the U.S. The dominance of the U.S. in Canadian and Quebec life is never questioned or considered foreign interference. Negotiations under the dictate of the U.S. are not considered foreign interference, nor are comments on which candidate the U.S. thinks should be elected to office, nor the fact that the military is dominated and commanded by the U.S., to name just a few examples.
Significant Appointments
In her cabinet, Fréchette, herself a representative of narrow private interests, reappointed Ian Lafrenière who was promoted to Deputy Premier, responsible for Relations with First Nations and Inuit, and Minister of Homeland Security (formerly Minister of Public Safety).
The name change – from Public Safety to Homeland Security – is not insignificant and aligns with the anti-people restructuring in the U.S. The term "homeland security" is directly inspired by the U.S. model, particularly its Department of Homeland Security created after the attacks of September 11, 2001. The focus shifted from a service-oriented ministry to a threat-oriented one. Under its auspices Islamophobia was spread to justify the persecution of those falsely accused of being terrorists. Sending remittances which did not go through City Bank was prohibited and terrorist financing laws were passed and many other measures were taken by encompassing expanded functions: terrorism, cybersecurity, borders, and critical infrastructure. Among other things, it emphasizes the protection of the territory against systemic threats rather than simply policing.
The adoption of Bill 13, An Act to promote peace, order and public safety in Quebec, tabled by Ian Lafrenière on April 2, shortly before the prorogation of the National Assembly, addresses internal security. Among other things, the bill introduces the undefined concept of criminal entities. The police powers included in the bill allow the Minister to declare arbitrarily that an entity is a criminal entity and thus criminalize those associated with it.
François Bonnardel was appointed Minister of Immigration, Francization and Integration and Government House Leader. He promised to quickly implement the "more humane approach" to immigration advocated by the Premier. The premier, without acknowledging it, was forced to back down and reopen the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ) for two years due to the uprising in Quebec against its abolition. Bonnardel's first task: to reopen the PEQ to "take care of those who have been forgotten." The reopening of the PEQ is a victory for the movement against its abolition. Everyone is aware that this is an election ploy, while keeping in mind that, given the impunity enjoyed by elected officials, the premier can reverse her decision whenever she sees fit.
Protest against cutting of Quebec Experience Program, Montreal, February 7, 2026
As for his credentials, François Bonnardel, former Quebec Minister of Transport, was at the heart of the controversy surrounding the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec's (SAAQ) digital transformation, "SAAQclic." In 2024-2025, he was severely denounced by Quebeckers for the project's cost overruns, which exceeded $1 billion. Public anger in Quebec over the ensuing problems with driver's license and registration renewals and the squandering of public funds was so great that former Premier François Legault was forced to exclude Bonnardel when he shuffled his cabinet in September 2025. Despite this, Christine Fréchette has reintegrated him.
Bernard Drainville, who ran against Fréchette for the position of party leader and premier, became the new super-minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, responsible for the Maritime Strategy. Known for being fiercely anti-worker, he repeated the mantra of the elite, saying he wanted to "simplify the lives of entrepreneurs" through financial assistance and the easing of certain regulations.
The prior super-minister, Fitzgibbon, resigned in September 2024, citing a loss of motivation. He left without being held to account for the Northvolt battery project which proved to be a complete fiasco. By the time he resigned, the Legault government had already invested over $710 million in "the largest private investment in recent Quebec history," while Northvolt announced the layoff of 1,600 workers.
After Fitzgibbon, Christine Fréchette became the super-minister and also defended the Northvolt project, saying "It's a controlled risk." In this role, she opened the door wide to the militarization of the economy and war production as a potential market for Quebec, which must claim its share.
The controversial and widely disliked Jean Boulet remains Minister of Labour, demonstrating the government's appreciation for his contempt for Quebec workers. He has been given free rein to intensify the criminalization of workers. It appears that Minister Boulet will reintroduce Bill 27, An Act to amend various provisions concerning collective agreement decrees and the construction industry, when the National Assembly resumes on May 5. Bill 27 was tabled on April 8, just before the prorogation of the National Assembly. It is fiercely opposed by the workers' unions because it grants the Minister broad powers to specifically target existing mechanisms and measures related to occupational health and safety for construction workers in order to eliminate obstacles for corporations.
Pascale Dery, now Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, uses the same language as Bernanrd Drainville. In an interview, she clearly stated that her immediate priority is to eliminate what she called bureaucracy and unnecessary red tape that prevent projects from moving forward. A balance must be found between creating jobs and protecting the environment, she says, which is hot air. In March 2026, Glencore's Horne Smelter in Rouyn-Noranda, Abitibi obtained a two-year reprieve from the Legault government to meet reduced arsenic production targets. Pascale Dery saw no problem with this and said that understanding was necessary, that jobs must be considered, and that Glencore was working well with the government.
For years, people have been fighting for their health and opposing the preferential treatment given to Glencore by the government. On April 20, 118 doctors from the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region wrote an open letter to the premier asking her to remove the concessions promised to Horne Smelter. They reminded her that the municipality of Rouyn-Noranda is now recognized as one of the communities most exposed to industrial pollution in Quebec, and that there is an increased prevalence of low birth weights, respiratory illnesses and lung cancer, as well as, in certain areas, a lower life expectancy than the rest of Quebec. They asked her to withdraw the amendment to a bill tabled just before François Legault left office which would have given the smelter more time to meet the emissions reduction targets for various pollutants, such as arsenic, lead and cadmium.
Deep Crisis of System of Unrepresentative Democracy
The
appointment of the cabinet is already beginning with an intensification
of the crisis within the government of the Coalition Avenir Québec
(CAQ) now led by Fréchette. On April 22,Gilles Bélanger, former
Minister of Cybersecurity and Digital Affairs, who was the first to
support Christine
Fréchette's candidacy for the CAQ leadership, resigned. He spoke out
against the hosting of Quebeckers' health data outside Quebec by the
company Epic Systems because it is not protected. The day before the
cabinet appointments, Alice Abou-Ahalil, Member of the National
Assembly (MNA) for Fabre,
announced she would not be seeking re-election at the end of her term
and Shirley Dorismond, MNA for Marie-Victorin, said she was considering
her political future.
The new cabinet will not save the CAQ from its death throes, nor will it legitimize the unrepresentative democracy, which is in deep crisis because it is seen to lack the consent of the governed as it does egregious damage to the social and natural environment. The resolute struggle of the working people of Quebec to defend their rights, build an economy that serves their well-being and become the decision-makers as concerns all matters of concern will intensify.
Click here for list of members of the new Cabinet.
This article was published in
Volume 56 Number 23 - April 24, 2026
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/TML2026/Articles/T560231.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca