Strongly criticized by the Parti Québécois (PQ), the Legault government is defending the $173,000 annual remuneration awarded to Christiane Germain, chair of Santé Québec's board of directors.
Last week, a decree announced that Germain, a friend of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), would receive compensation four times higher than anticipated a year ago.
In a press scrum at the National Assembly on Wednesday, Health Minister Christian Dubé defended Germain's compensation, comparing it to that of the chair of Hydro-Québec's board of directors.
Manon Brouillette's annual remuneration is $195,000, which is $120,000 more than her predecessor Jacinthe Côté.
"Compare it to what Manon Brouillette gets at Hydro-Québec (...) There have been discussions about the scope of the task. It's a big task,” said Dubé, referring to all the work ahead for the Santé Québec agency.
The PQ is accusing the government of misusing public funds in the context of a record $11-billion budget deficit.
The party also points out that the head of Santé Québec, Geneviève Biron, will earn more than $652,000 for the first two years of her mandate and will get a company car.
"This government's use of state resources is almost discretionary, and it's Quebecers' hard-earned money,” PQ member Pascal Bérubé said on Wednesday.
The previous day, the government had rejected a PQ motion denouncing the "unreasonable" decision to "quadruple the allowance granted to the president of Santé Québec's board of directors and to pay for a car for its executive director."
- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 29, 2024.
