Parti Québécois leader says his government would abolish Santé Québec

Annabelle Olivier · CBC News

· Posted: Aug 21, 2026 1:01 PM EDT | Last Updated: August 21

Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has his sights on Santé Québec, saying his government would abolish the state-owned corporation if elected.

St-Pierre Plamondon made the announcement Friday morning in front of Montreal's Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, flanked by PQ candidates.

"The Parti Québécois has committed to refocusing the state on its core missions," he said.

"One of the primary ones is providing health care to the population. People pay taxes with the expectation that they will receive services."

He said his government would get rid of Santé Québec in a bid to reinvest in direct patient care.

Savings, he added, would go toward strengthening frontline care via local health clinics known as CLSCs, and reducing the wait list for surgeries.

WATCH | Why a PQ government would scrap Santé Québec:

St-Pierre Plamondon pointed to Santé Québec as a failed experiment by the Coalition Avenir Québec government, that has led to a bloated bureaucracy.

"We are dealing with a bureaucratic monster, pure and simple. We need to regain control over this Crown corporation, and it must be held accountable for growth that is completely out of control," he said.

St-Pierre Plamondon added that in just two years, the number of people employed by Santé Québec has jumped from 760 to 1,300.

Santé Québec was created in 2024 and became the sole employer in the health and social services network.

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She defended the Crown corporation saying it is still very young but already yielding results.

"We've consolidated 30 structures, created a single employer, facilitated workforce mobility and the sharing of best practices. All of that, without preventing facilities from continuing to do what they do well locally."

Need for change, say political parties

Other parties at the National Assembly also see a need for change.

Quebec Conservative Party Leader Éric Duhaime unveiled his party's political platform earlier this week, revealing he would also abolish Santé Québec if elected.

In a social media post, he said that improving access to health care wouldn't be achieved by throwing more money at the system but by allowing competition between the private and public sectors.

"A monopoly never delivers good services, on the best timelines," he wrote.

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Québec Solidaire told CBC News in an email that it wouldn't abolish the health corporation but agreed with the PQ that decentralizing some of the powers of "megastructures, such as Santé Québec," was necessary.

QS says the move would "ensure greater decision-making autonomy for the regions."

Head of Santé Québec invites PQ leader to meeting

Santé Québec, for its part, said it wouldn't comment on the matter, but the head of the Crown corporation sent a letter to the PQ inviting St-Pierre Plamondon to a meeting.

CBC News obtained a copy of the letter in which Geneviève Biron said she wished to "correct certain inaccuracies" following public statements by the PQ leader and "to provide an update on the progress of Santé Québec."

Like Bélanger, she reiterated the corporation is still young and it was created to strengthen the health and social services network’s operational capacity to allow the government to focus on strategic outcomes.

Biron said it addresses "a long-recognized need within the sector" which is "the importance of clearly distinguishing between responsibilities related to public policy and those related to the management and delivery of care and services."

Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital expansion

The PQ picking the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital to deliver its message on Friday was no accident.

For years, employees have called for improvements at the aging facility, which has become emblematic of the infrastructure deficit facing Quebec hospitals.

"It's one of the most striking symbols of the CAQ’s record on health care," St-Pierre Plamondon said. "For eight years, the CAQ promised everything but delivered nothing."

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Santé Québec also chose Friday morning to make an announcement of its own.

In a news release, the health agency confirmed it had purchased the land required for the new Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital project for $30 million.

"This acquisition marks a key step in advancing the construction of a modern hospital capable of meeting the needs of the population of east Montreal."

St-Pierre Plamondon wasn't impressed with the announcement, calling it a political move by the health corporation.