Quebec premier names new top health official after sudden resignation

Quebec's interim public health director will be Dr. Luc Boileau, the current head ofthe province's health-care research institute, the INESSS, PremierFranois Legaultannounced Tuesday.

Monday, Legault acceptedthe resignation ofDr. Horacio Arruda, who had served as public health director for nearly 12 years and had become a household name during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Legault thanked Arrudafor his hard work and said he'd grown close to him through22 months of regular meetings and public news conferences.

"Being in front of the media every day and explaining these decisions is not easy for anyone," Legault said. "I think there are advantages to having someone new after all those months, to take on those responsibilities.

Legault said Arruda willbe taking a couple of weeks torest before returning to help out in another role that has yet to be decided on.

At Tuesday's news conference,Boileau thanked Legault and Health Minister Christian Dubfor entrusting him with such an important role.

"I'll try to be at the height of their expectations," he said. Boileau said he has a lot of admiration for Arruda.

Boileauhas held several high-profile roles in the Quebec health network. He was head of theprovince's public health institute, theInstitut national de sant publique du Qubec(INSPQ) from 2008 to 2015, and before that, of the Montrgie regional health board.

WATCH| Quebec officials thank Dr. Horacio Arruda for his service:

Public health director's resignation addressed by Quebec leaders

3 years ago

Duration 1:57

Quebec's premier, health minister, and new interim public health director address Dr. Horacio Arruda's sudden resignation.

Arruda submitted his letter of resignation on Monday as the Omicron wave continued to overwhelmhospitals across the province, forcing the health-care network to postpone surgeries and other medical services.

In his letter, Arruda wrote thatshould the premier wish, he would continue to serve. Legault accepted his resignation.

Arruda had been criticized for supporting Legault's wish in early Decemberto allow up indoor gatherings of upto 20 peopleover the holidays, as well as for offering little evidence backing the second use of an overnight curfew, announced before New Year's Eve.

At the end of December, Arrudaalso came under fire for saying N95 masks were not as efficient as surgical masks if worn or adjusted improperly.

Separation of science and politics

Daniel Bland, a professor of political science at McGill University, said he wasn't surprised to see Arruda stepdown,in light of that criticism.

ButBland cautioned against placing the blame for the pandemic squarely at Arruda's feet. Hesaid that the job of the director of public health is to provide information to government officials, who, based on that evidence, ultimately formpolicy.

"The responsibility for the management of the crisis lies with the premier. And this is something that hewill have to live with until the election, the provincial elections in October," he said.

Blandnoted, however, that the position of director of public health is not entirely divorced from politics.

The director of public health is automaticallyanassistant deputy health minister,tied to the government institutionally.

"That creates a kind of ambiguous position where you're independent, but they're at the same time you're not totally independent," he said.

Bland pointed back to March 2020, when Arruda was rapidly becoming the face of the pandemic response in Quebec.

"He developed a fan base and in terms of communications, he was the one communicatingthe first public health measures and guidelines to the population, and he became some form of media czar," he said.

Bland said the premier then appeared to "push Arruda aside," to reclaim the public image, despite being a more controversial figure.

"[Legault needs] to reassure the public that the government is still listening to scientists, and that the government understands the frustrations of the public," he said.

In a tweet thanking Arruda for his service, the Quebec College of Physicians urged the government to grant his successor "the greatest independence of opinion to ensure the support of the population."

Calls for more independence

Quebec's three main opposition parties and the College of Physicians are calling for the next public health director to be more independent from the Quebec government.

The opposition has said Arruda, who usually appeared in public alongsideDuband Legault and whose advice to the government was often delivered orally behind closed doors, was too close to political decision-makers.

In response, Boileausaid he will approachtherole of interim public health directorthe same way he approached his role as head ofthe INSPQ and theINESSS.

"In that role, we asked institutes that Irepresented to be independent and I will continue to work in this manner," he said.

"I presume that [Quebec's public health director]must be independent and in the work that I will do, it will be independent."

Opposition says Arruda was scapegoat

Quebec Liberal Leader Dominique Angladetweeted on Monday her thanks to Arruda, saying he put aside "his life and his family for all of us" during the pandemic.

"The departure of Dr. Arruda will not solve anything. Decisions are made by [Legault]and should be based on science and not polls and gut feelings," Anglade wrote.

During recent news conferences, Legault has been routinely asked if he still has faith in Arruda and the premier has defended him.

Another opposition party, QubecSolidaire,has alsoshown itssupport for the former public healthdirector.

Leader Gabriel Nadeau-Duboistweeted his thanks to Arruda for his dedication to the province's "long neglected and underfunded" health-care system.

"Throughout this pandemic, he served Quebec with sincerity. It was the CAQ(Coalition Avenir Qubec) government that made the decisions," Nadeau-Dubois wrote.

"Arruda sacrificed himself for the bad decisions of the government," agreed Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, the leader of the PartiQubcois, on Twitter.

'Most difficult weekend' coming up

Although the number of new cases and hospitalizations continue on an upward trend, Boileau said he anticipates the numbers will soonbegin levelling off.

"Have we reached the peak right now? Well, we cannot confirm this," he said. "We will have to wait a few more days."

Dub said those few extra days could prove critical for the province's health network ashospitalizations neara point of no return.

"The weekend coming up is going to be our most difficult weekend," he said, pointing to the critical staffing shortage in Quebec hospitals.

Legault estimated that 1,000 more health-care workers and 1,500 CHSLD staff will be needed in the coming weeks to keep the system afloat.

He saidthe unvaccinated make up10 per cent of the eligible population, yet account for 50 per cent of ICU admissions.

That's why, Legault said, thegovernmentwill beimposing a "health contribution" on Quebecers who refuse to get their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in the coming weeks.