Montreal·NewAndré Lamontagne, minister in charge of agriculture, and Suzanne Roy, Quebec’s family minister, will to step down to allow Legault to nominate new ministers in the cabinet shuffle.Premier is working on a reset ahead of the next provincial electionCBC News · Posted: Sep 08, 2025 1:46 PM EDT | Last Updated: 22 minutes agoAndré Lamontagne, minister of agriculture, fisheries and food, and Suzanne Roy, the province’s minister of family, are stepping down from their cabinet roles. (Radio-Canada composite image: Sylvain Roy Roussel/Ariane Emond)Two ministers will leave Premier François Legault’s cabinet on Wednesday as he makes changes to his team.André Lamontagne, minister in charge of agriculture, and Suzanne Roy, Quebec’s family minister, will step down to allow Legault to nominate new ministers in the upcoming cabinet shuffle.In a Facebook post on Monday morning, Roy said she informed Legault in early July of her decision to not seek another term in the 2026 provincial election so that she can “slowly transition into retirement.” “It is a privilege for me to represent you and an honour to have been your elected representative for nearly 30 years,” she wrote, adding that she made the decision to step down after much reflection.”I will remain in office until the October 2026 elections and you can be assured of my dedication until the end of the term.” Lamontagne, in a post on X, said he was very proud of the work accomplished during his term.”I will always be the biggest fan of those who feed Quebec. I will continue to serve the citizens of Johnson with all my heart,” he wrote.Legault has made only one other major shuffle — in 2020.Lamontagne was elected in the riding of Johnson in the Centre-du-Québec region in 2014. He has held the position of minister of agriculture, fisheries and food for almost seven years now. And Roy was elected in 2022 in the riding of Verchères in the Montérégie region, holding the portfolio of minister of family. During testimony at the Gallant commission, Quebec Premier François Legault uses his hands to describe the amount of spending of the province’s auto insurance board. (Ivanoh Demers/Radio-Canada)Legault working on a resetLast week was marked by other departures. Legault kicked Pierre Dufour, MNA for Abitibi-Est, out of caucus.Andrée Laforest, Quebec’s municipal affairs minister, who is responsible for the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, announced her resignation and her plans to enter the Saguenay mayoral race in the upcoming municipal election. In a statement, the premier’s office said Legault was 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 this week with a cabinet shuffle, according to the office. The shuffle closely follows his testimony at the Gallant commission, which is looking into the SAAQ’s digital transition project. It was launched despite improper testing, infamously causing headaches for its users.Legault said he had not been unaware of any cost overrun issues until an auditor general report unveiled that the project was $500 million over budget.Changes to his cabinet also come after Quebec Economy Minister Christine Fréchette confirmed that the government will stop investing in Northvolt Batteries North America after the province lost a $270-million investment. The new sitting at the National Assembly was set to begin on Sept. 16, but the premier’s office said it will be postponed until Sept. 30 to allow the shuffled ministers to get used to their new portfolios.Written by Hénia Ould-Hammou, with files from Cathy Senay, Holly Cabrera and Radio-Canada
2 CAQ ministers to step down as Legault preps cabinet shuffle
