MP Youri Chassin slams the door on the CAQ

Photo: Jacques Boissinot La Presse canadienne Youri Chassin est député de Saint-Jérôme depuis l’arrivée au pouvoir de la CAQ, en 2018. On le voit ici jeudi avec sa carte de membre du parti.

The CAQ member for Saint-Jérôme, Youri Chassin, is leaving the Coalition avenir Québec caucus. He will complete his term and promises not to affiliate with any other party.

The economist by training made the announcement Thursday morning, after publishing a letter in which he called on the government to “pull itself together,” believing that François Legault’s government has applied “the old recipe of throwing money at problems” rather than trying to do things differently.

200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000

In this open letter published Thursday morning in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Mr. Chassin argues that despite a sharp increase in spending, which resulted in an $11-billion deficit in the last budget, public services appear more fragile.

“Whether we're talking about education, housing, emergencies, courts, daycares and so on, the most taxed citizens in North America are struggling to receive services when they need them,” he denounces.

“Despite this, citizens are not seeing the results, neither for places in daycare services, nor for obtaining an official document, nor for the expansion and modernization project of the Saint-Jérôme regional hospital which is progressing at a snail's pace.”

Mr. Chassin laments that rather than reducing bureaucracy, the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) government has spent at “unprecedented magnitudes,” creating several new public bodies.

In his opinion, “that’s not the CAQ.”

“The CAQ must regain its determination and courage from before the pandemic. It must focus on its commitments that will get us out of the ruts of the past,” he maintains.

Youri Chassin, known for being right-wing, has been the MNA for Saint-Jérôme since the CAQ came to power in 2018. He is an economist by training.

Following the 2022 election, he admitted to being “disappointed” not to have been appointed minister, but he chose to fall into line, saying he was “proud” to be part of the CAQ team.

With The Canadian Press