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Quebec’s former minister of cybersecurity and digital affairs is leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) to sit as an Independent, finishing his term as MNA for the riding of Orford.
Gilles Bélanger told Radio-Canada his decision is not driven by Premier Christine Fréchette’s exclusion of him from her cabinet, which was announced earlier this week. He was the first to publicly support her, encouraging her to enter the race to succeed François Legault.
He said he is leaving the CAQ over fears that this government will fail to fulfil its commitments and his confusion over the new premier’s decision to award the critical economy, innovation and energy portfolio to former education minister and leadership rival, Bernard Drainville.
Bélanger said the premier is granting too much influence to members of her rival’s team from the leadership race.
“I feel we are moving away from a bold renewal,” he said.
He had previously threatened to resign a few weeks ago if members chose Drainville as leader, labelling him as too “populist.”
Fréchette’s team had asked him to retract those statements, fearing an impact on party unity following the race. He said he “swallowed his words” to protect the integrity of the campaign for the candidate he ardently supported, but his opinions remain unchanged.
Despite this, he congratulated Fréchette, acknowledged Drainville’s tenacity, and wished the new team luck.
Seeing tech as a top priority
In his resignation letter, Bélanger expressed deep disappointment, saying he struggled to make the government see digital technology as a top priority.
“I believed things could change quickly, but I don’t see that ambition here — surprisingly, it’s seen as a risk,” he wrote, without naming names. “It is very difficult to introduce a new vision and keep our promises.”
First elected in 2018, he said his team was successful in overseeing more than 500 digital transformation projects and managing cyberattacks.
“After eight years as a politician, I am left wanting more,” Bélanger said. He leaves the government feeling a lack of support for his files, despite believing he “always delivered on time, respected the budget, and acted boldly.”
Last week, he sounded the alarm over Santé Québec’s pilot project aimed at giving health-care workers electronic access to patients’ medical history. He said the project is not ready for its May 9 launch. He cited a “lack of visibility on critical elements” and expressed fears that Quebecers’ data might not be adequately protected.
In a Facebook post Wednesday, Bélanger wrote, “Wherever I am able to do so, I will continue to defend the principles of digital sovereignty and the importance of taking action to move closer to that goal. In both cases, I believe the best way to achieve this is to sit as an Independent member of the National Assembly of Quebec.”
Bélanger argues that digital sovereignty is essential for Quebec, citing the need to protect data and improve state efficiency.
On X, Fréchette acknowledged Bélanger’s decision and wished him all the best in a short social media post Wednesday.
Quebec Liberal Party Leader Charles Milliard intends to run in the Orford riding in the October general election.