Pierre Fitzgibbon, the minister who oversaw Quebec’s push to develop its economy for the past six years, said Wednesday he was stepping down because he had lost his passion for politics.
He had wanted to stay on in his role until December, but decided to resign earlier after consulting with Premier François Legault, he said at a morning press conference at the governing Coalition Avenir Québec party’s caucus retreat in Rimouski.
It was Legault who told him that, if he did not plan to complete his mandate until the 2026 election, it was better to step down right away.
“I realize totally that it was the right decision,” Fitzgibbon said, standing next to the premier.
In government, Legault handed Fitzgibbon two of the province’s most prominent ministerial positions: the economy and energy. Due to that heavy workload, he has often been called a “super minister” and was seen as a kind of architect of the Quebec economy.
On Wednesday, he said he was proud of the work he had done as minister of the economy, including developing the battery industry in Quebec and promoting the production of more green energy as energy minister.
“The results are there,” he said. “The Quebec economy is in good shape, very good shape. It’s doing better than ever, but it’s time for me to move on to other things.”
Legault lauded Fitzgibbon’s record and said his tenure had been a boon for Quebec’s economy.
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Fitzgibbon was “tireless” and never stopped working, Legault said, describing late-night text messages and constant business trips.
“I want to thank Pierre Fitzgibbon,” Legault said. “Pierre devoted six years of his life to public service, six years for Quebecers is a lot. Six years for the interests of Quebecers, I think we should all thank him.”
Fitzgibbon did not say what he would do now that he was leaving politics, but he said there were two things he wouldn’t do: call his former colleagues asking for favours or appear in the media.
He had represented the Montreal-area riding of Terrebonne in the National Assembly since 2018. Before politics, he had a successful business career. He is a personal friend of Legault’s. The two studied together at HEC, a business school that is part of Université de Montréal.
The premier will now have to find new ministers for both files — or find another person to juggle both, like Fitzgibbon did.
The 69-year-old was no stranger to controversy during his six-year run in cabinet.
Fitzgibbon was the subject of six ethics investigations related to contracts awarded to companies he had business ties with.
In early 2023, he was cleared of wrongdoing in one probe into a $24-million government investment into the parent company of lighting products maker Lumenpulse (LMPG).