March organized by Quebec Solidaire calls for health minister’s resignation

Quebec Solidaire organized a “citizen’s” march in Montreal Saturday to demand the resignation of Quebec’s health minister, Gaetan Barrette.

Quebec Solidaire’s spokesperson, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, MNA Amir Khadir and healthcare professionals gathered at Place Emilie-Gamelin. They then headed to the office of Quebec’s premier, Philippe Couillard.

The group presented a petition with 50,000 signatures asking the premier to dismiss Barrette. Quebec Solidaire says Barrette has lost all credibility within the healthcare setting.

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According to Amir Khadir, signs that the healthcare network is not working have multiplied in the past few weeks and he blames Barrette for it. Khadir added that conditions for hospital workers are unacceptable as is quality of care offered.

The MNA affirmed Barrette was responsible for “a huge failure.”

Khadir blamed Barrette’s misdirected policies, a vision too centered in the role doctors play, and the minister’s authoritarian and improvised management style for depriving establishments from necessary resources and the flexibility to act and solve problems on-site.

With files from La Presse Canadienne