MontrealThe office of Quebec Premier François Legault confirmed Thursday morning the rumours that had been swirling about changes to the government team.National Assembly sitting delayed to end of the monthHolly Cabrera · CBC News · Posted: Sep 04, 2025 8:47 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours agoThe office of Quebec Premier François Legault said in a statement that a cabinet shuffle will help spur new momentum and ideas to help advance the government’s priorities. (Sylvain Roy Roussel/CBC)Quebec Premier François Legault will carry out a cabinet shuffle next week as he works on a reset ahead of the next provincial election in 2026.His office confirmed Thursday morning the rumours that had been swirling about changes to the government team.The announcement comes days after Legault testified in the Gallant commission, which is leading the public inquiry into the $500-million cost overrun for the province’s automobile insurance board’s digital transition project.It also closely follows Quebec Economy Minister Christine Fréchette confirming that the government will stop investing in Northvolt Batteries North America after the province lost a $270-million investment. In a statement, the premier’s office says Legault is promising change and has been consulting with citizens, his MNAs and his cabinet on how to better serve the needs of Quebecers.That change will start next week with a cabinet shuffle, according to the office.”It will be an opportunity to reinvigorate the government team and make room for new ideas to advance government priorities,” the statement reads. Changes after controversiesLegault said on Tuesday he first learned of cost overrun issues with the SAAQclic platform through Quebec’s auditor general report published in February. During his testimony, he acknowledged that cabinet members, particularly transport ministers tasked with overseeing the Société de l’assurance de l’automobile du Québec (SAAQ), should have asked more questions about rising costs for the project and informed him of issues earlier. Public Security Minister François Bonnardel was transport minister from October 2018 to 2022. He was succeeded by current Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault. WATCH: What’s to come of the Northvolt site in Quebec: What’s next for the Northvolt site now that Quebec abandoned the battery plant project? Groups who raised concerns about the project in the past are questioning what will come next, while the province’s economy minister argues there is significant value in the land in its current state. After Legault testified, Fréchette announced on Tuesday the end to Northvolt’s highly touted, but controversial, plan to build a $7-billion plant in Saint-Basile-le-Grand and McMasterville in the Montérégie region.The Quebec government had supported the proposal and changed its own rules, allowing the project to bypass an environmental review.Northvolt declared bankruptcy in Sweden in March.Laforest steps down to run for mayorAndrée Laforest, Quebec’s municipal affairs minister and the minister responsible for the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, said she will be resigning to enter the Saguenay mayoral race in the upcoming municipal election. “After careful consideration, I am ready to get more involved locally in order to restore my city of Saguenay to its former glory,” Laforest said in a news statement published on Thursday. Andrée Laforest was first elected as the MNA for Chicoutimi in 2018 and was re-elected in the riding in 2022. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press)Laforest was first elected as the MNA for Chicoutimi in 2018 and was re-elected in the riding in 2022. She launched the government’s Programme d’habitation abordable Québec (PHAQ) in 2022, an initiative housing advocates criticized for favouring projects led by the private sector and causing delays for approvals. The program replaced Quebec’s social housing fund, AccèsLogis, and aimed to build more affordable housing in the province faster. However, in October 2024, Le Devoir reported that only six of the 130 units under the PHAQ expected in September of that year were ready. The new sitting at the National Assembly was set to begin on Sept. 16, but the premier’s office says that it will be postponed until Sept. 30 to allow the shuffled ministers to get used to their new portfolios.With files from Radio-Canada
Legault to shuffle cabinet, Quebec municipal affairs minister resigns
