Lacombe not running in fall election
Papineau MNA Mathieu Lacombe announced last week that he would not be seeking reelection after two terms in office, Le Droit reported. In addition to representing his riding, Lacombe served as the Minister of Families, Minister responsible for the Outaouais, as well as Minister of Communications and Culture more recently. He was among the first ministers to support current Premier Christine Fréchette in her leadership bid, after CAQ founder and former premier François Legault resigned in January.
The nearly 38-year-old said the decision was a difficult one made due to wanting to spend more time with his sons, aged 9 and 12.
Lacombe is one of many CAQ ministers heading for the exit with the next election looming. Labour minister Jean Boulet also announced his departure from provincial office last week. Lacombe is the second CAQ representative from the Outaouais to decide not to seek office, following Gatineau MNA Robert Bussière.
Provincial elections are scheduled for no later than Oct. 5.
CISSSO now known as Santé Québec Outaouais
Regional health authority CISSSO is rebranding as Santé Québec Outaouais, Le Droit reported. Santé Québec announced last Monday that around 30 regional organizations would be rebranded. The CISSSO nomenclature originates from the Liberal health reforms under Minister Gaétan Barrette in 2015. Prior to those changes, institutions were divided by territory under the French acronym CSSS (CSSS de Pontiac for example).
“For the moment, the work is mainly focused on updating digital platforms, office document templates, and certain communication tools. Printed materials bearing the CISSS logo will be used up before being gradually replaced by new versions in Santé Québec’s colours,” the organization notes.
No specific timeline has been given for the changes and Santé Québec says that the costs of these changes will be “minimal”. The organization said that changes to exterior signage for the region’s roughly 60 facilities is not being considered at this stage.
OQLF says complaints hit record high
Quebec’s language watchdog logged more complaints in the last year than ever before, a seven per cent increase over the previous year, CBC News reported. The Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) tallied 11,125 complaints over the last year, ending on Mar. 31. Roughly half of the complaints were made in the Montreal area.
“The constant increase in the number of complaints in the last few years is an indication of Quebecers’ growing concern when it comes to their right to work, be informed and receive services in French,” an OQLF statement reads.
The OQLF also released a breakdown of the complaints by category:
– Language of service (35 per cent)
– Business communications, including publications online or on social media (33 per cent)
– Language in signage (16 per cent)
– Language used on products (six per cent)
– Language used at work (five per cent)
