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RIMOUSKI – Quebec’s superminister of the economy, Pierre Fitzgibbon, conceded Wednesday that he did not feel motivated enough to complete his term of office and accepted to leave now, at the request of Premier François Legault, to avoid becoming a distraction to the government.
At a joint news conference with Premier François Legault where his departure was confirmed, Fitzgibbon said that as in the case in any well-run business, he understands the leader needs to feel his team is totally motivated to the cause.
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The fire has gone and it’s time to “pass the torch,” Fitzgibbon said.
“At some point in time you feel you don’t have the same motivation,” Fitzgibbon told reporters at what will be his last news conference as a minister. “It’s a factor. I don’t have any specific problems, but I sensed that in the last two or three months that this motivation was declining.
“I said it’s not fair to hide it. It’s all about the colleagues. When you have a team … we have 89 members of the (Coalition Avenir Québec) and 30 ministers. I think it’s important that the glue is there and everybody is motivated.
“If one starts to be not as motivated, the impact on the team is more damaging on the team than the personal benefit you get by accomplishing something. I think it was was the right decision (on Legault’s part).”
Fitzgibbon, who turns 70 in November, said he proposed to Legault at a meeting in August that he would stay on until December to complete the adoption of Bill 69 overhauling Quebec’s energy system, which he tabled in June with much fanfare.
He said he would have liked to see that bill into law but Legault indicated he was not comfortable with the idea, knowing he planned to leave.
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“It’s not an ideal situation,” Legault said at the news conference confirming Fitzgibbon’s surprise departure. “I would have preferred that he stayed for four years (a full mandate) but knowing that he wanted to leave next December, I thought it would be better to make the changes right now.”
The two insisted there was no animosity between them — they even shared a bear hug at the end of the news conference — even though Fitzgibbon had a different vision than Legault on a number of issues, such as Hydro-Québec rates.
Legault wants to limit rate increases to inflation; Fitzgibbon believed future development costs associated with making Quebec carbon neutral makes that idea unrealistic and consumers will face significant increases.
But in his opening remarks, Legault heaped praise on Fitzgibbon, his minister of the economy, innovation and energy, saying Quebec was “lucky to have such a man” at the helm. Quebec’s economy is better because of him, he said.
He said he’s not worried about the future of the energy bill because there are other CAQ ministers able to step in to fill Fitzgibbon’s shoes.
“I leave today with my head held high and with a sense of accomplishment,” Fitgzibbon added. “The results are there. The economy is healthier. It’s time to move on to other things.”
Legault, however, was cagey when asked who would replace Fitzgibbon, known as his “superminister,” saying he would make an announcement Thursday at the end of the CAQ’s two-day caucus in Rimouski. Fitzgibbon was also minister responsible for Montreal.
Legault did not appear to be any hurry to call a byelection to replace Fitzgibbon in the riding of Terrebonne. He has six months to do so. The Parti Québécois currently leads the CAQ in the polls. Terrebonne was a PQ stronghold for 10 years before flipping to the CAQ in 2018.
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