Quebec launches probe of pandemic in Montreal
QUEBEC — With Premier François Legault saying he’s sorry so many Quebecers have died, the government has named a veteran bureaucrat on to conduct an analysis of the way the COVID-19 pandemic has been handled in Montreal, and to prepare for a possible second wave.
On the same day Quebec topped the 5,000 mark for COVID-19 fatalities, Health Minister Danielle McCann appointed Dominique Savoie as her personal envoy to Montreal to conduct a sweeping investigation.
“We want to understand what happened in Montreal in terms of co-ordination of activities,” McCann said at Legault’s pandemic news conference, noting Savoie will work closely with the numerous health agencies in the metropolis.
“We want her to make a diagnosis very quickly and properly … and see what can be improved for the second wave. It is the priority now of the (health) network to prepare for a second wave.”
McCann made the announcement as questions emerged about a possible resurgence of the virus this fall following a few months of deconfinement.
Savoie is no stranger to controversy. In 2016 the Coalition Avenir Québec, then in opposition, criticized her management style when she was deputy minister of transport.
The then-Liberal government dismissed Savoie from the post amid allegations she turned a blind eye to questionable practices.
But last month the CAQ rehabilitated her image, recognizing her vast knowledge of Quebec’s complex bureaucracy was urgently needed to fight the pandemic and get an obstinate system to respond to political orders from the top.
McCann named her state administrator of government resources, in charge of solving the shortage of medical supplies. Now she has to sort out the layers of health bureaucracy in Montreal.
The news came as an emotional Legault announced that with 45 new deaths, the province now has 5,029 COVID19 fatalities. Montreal is the hardest-hit region of Quebec, with 3,088 deaths.
“That’s a lot of people, a lot of Quebecers,” Legault said. “I want to offer my sympathies to the families of these victims. As a government, this tells us that we must do better in the future.”
Asked if he has a message for those who have lost family members, Legault said: “The message that I have is that I’m sorry — I’m sorry for the decisions that have been taken or not taken for the last 10, 20 years.”
Legault revealed there are still 1,000 seniors infected with COVID-19 in residences, a drop from the high of 5,000 a few weeks ago.
Quebec public health director Dr. Horacio Arruda said with the number of new cases dropping in Montreal, his teams are able to monitor community transmission even more intensively. There is a focus on the eventual impact of the recent anti-racism demonstrations.