(Quebec) Tough day for the Minister of Education, Bernard Drainville: after presenting his tearful apologies on Thursday morning to the voters of Lévis for a road tunnel project that will not be realized, he left the Blue Room in full debate, in the afternoon, irritated by the questions of the Opposition.
It is rare, even unprecedented, for a minister to come out like this during a debate on a file that concerns his responsibilities.
Mr. Drainville was then questioned by Liberal spokesperson Marwah Rizqy about the increase in lunchtime fees in a School Services Center in the northern crown of the metropolitan area.
The Minister attributed the responsibility to the school service center, an organization created by the CAQ government to replace the school boards.
Ms. Rizqy couldn’t help but criticize the minister for shirking his responsibilities, and she linked it to the broken electoral commitment on the third link, a Quebec-Lévis tunnel for cars — a commitment that had defended Mr. Drainville, MP for Lévis.
“Is the Minister really talking to us about accountability today after the mega-recoil (on the third link)? she launched.
He got out of his hinges and began to challenge the Liberal MP, off the microphone, to such an extent that the Vice-President of the House, Chantal Soucy, had to call him to order.
“I understand the frustration, but personally, when I come to do an end-of-session debate, I expect to have a (ministerial) interlocutor,” Ms. Rizqy told Mr. Drainville.
“If you want to be your demagogue, do it by yourself!” he retorted, off the microphone, but we could still hear him in the recording.
“You also have to learn to manage your emotions,” she added.
“Demagogue! he concluded as he left the Blue Room.
The Liberal MP concluded by declaring that the exercise was “a bit futile”, as the minister responsible left the Blue Room in the middle of the debate.
