Premier Plamondon Unveils His First, Streamlined Cabinet

Following the Parti Québécois (PQ)'s victory in the October 5 general election, Premier Paul Saint-Pierre Plamondon announced today the composition of his first Cabinet, which will lead Québec's new minority government.

The Premier has opted for a smaller Cabinet, with 22 ministers compared with 29 in the previous government, reflecting the PQ's commitment to reducing the size of government.

Experience appears to have been an important consideration in assembling the first PQ government since Pauline Marois took office in 2012. Several MNAs who served in the previous legislature have been given key responsibilities, including Marie-Karlynn Laflamme (Health) and Joël Arseneault (Education). The Premier has also turned to newly elected MNAs with previous parliamentary experience, such as Nicolas Marceau (Finance) and Alain Therrien (Treasury Board), as well as individuals with recognized expertise in their respective fields, including Anne Nguyen (Artificial Intelligence and Digital Affairs) and Guy Lapointe (Internal Security).

These appointments suggest that the Premier is seeking to minimize early missteps and get his government up and running quickly, allowing it to begin implementing the PQ's platform without delay.

A smaller Cabinet will also mean broader responsibilities for several ministers. This approach will place considerable demands on the new team. One of the government's early challenges will be to demonstrate that it can reduce the size of the Cabinet while maintaining the effectiveness of government operations.

The New Cabinet

• Premier and Minister Responsible for Combatting Homelessness: Paul Saint-Pierre Plamondon

• Deputy Premier, Minister of Immigration and Integration, Minister Responsible for Quebec Independence, and Government House Leader: Catherine Gentilcore

• President of the Treasury Board, Minister Responsible for Government Administration and Community Action: Alain Therrien

• Minister of Finance and Revenue and Minister Responsible for Infrastructure: Nicolas Marceau

• Minister Responsible for Government Efficiency, Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Nord-du-Québec: Sébastien D’Astous

• Minister Responsible for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Affairs and the Laurentides: Anne Nguyen

• Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Minister Responsible for the Capitale-Nationale Region: Nicolas Girard

• Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy and Minister Responsible for the Metropolis and the Montréal Region: Stéphane Paquet

• Minister of Justice and Secularism, Attorney General of Quebec, and Minister Responsible for Canadian Intergovernmental Affairs, Relations with English-Speaking Quebecers, the Fight Against Racism, Combating Discrimination Against LGBTQ+ People, and the Protection of Personal Information: Marie-Claude Sarrazin

• Minister of Higher Education and Housing and Minister Responsible for the Status of Women and the Lanaudière Region: Elsie Lefebvre

• Minister of International Relations, Foreign Trade and La Francophonie and Minister Responsible for Laval: Dieudonné Ella Oyono

• Minister of Education: Joël Arseneault

• Minister of Internal Security and Minister Responsible for Montérégie: Guy Lapointe

• Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Solidarity: Mathieu Lebrun

• Minister of Families, Youth, Sports and Recreation and Minister Responsible for Gaspésie and Îles-de-la-Madeleine: Méganne Perry Melançon

• Minister of Health, Prevention and Seniors and Minister Responsible for Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean: Marie-Karlynn Laflamme

• Minister Responsible for Democratic Institutions, Mental Health and Social Services, and the Outaouais Region: Camille Pellerin-Forget

• Minister of Culture, Heritage, Communications and the French Language and Minister Responsible for Bas-Saint-Laurent: Pascal Bérubé

• Minister of the Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Biodiversity, Wildlife and Parks and Minister Responsible for Mauricie: Jean Pellerin

• Minister Responsible for Relations with First Nations and Inuit: Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay

• Minister of Natural Resources and Forests and Minister Responsible for Centre-du-Québec and Chaudière-Appalaches: Nathalie Bisaillon

• Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and Minister Responsible for Estrie: Bernard Sévigny

• Minister Responsible for the Regions, Regional Development and Côte-Nord: Meggie Richard

Governement Caucus Leadership

• Government Caucus Chair: Nadine Le Gal

• Government Chief Whip: William Fradette