The appointment of Jacinthe-Ève Arel, a controversial former host and columnist, as Quebec’s chief of staff to the minister responsible for government efficiency and regulatory streamlining has stirred up a wave of opposition. Québec Solidaire (QS) asked the PQ government on Friday to cancel her appointment to the role immediately. Conservative Party of Québec (PCQ) leader Éric Duhaime, for his part, believes she is making a mistake by allowing the Parti Québécois (PQ) to use a voice of the right for its own purposes. The Liberal Party (PLQ) is asking the PQ to explain how Arel’s positions align with its own. Appointments of chiefs of staff usually go largely unnoticed in Quebec, but the announcement made by the PQ government on Thursday evening provoked immediate reactions. Arel has previously expressed support for the American right and for President Donald Trump, as well as for Vladimir Putin’s Russian regime in its war against Ukraine. The new chief of staff has a political background that would not normally have led her to land in a PQ cabinet. In 2018, she was a candidate for the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), and she once worked for former minister Simon Jolin-Barrette. Then, in 2022, she ran for the Quebec Conservative Party. This article by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Oct. 30, 2026. Patrice Bergeron, The Canadian Press
