“Superminister” Pierre Fitzgibbon leaves an incomplete economic legacy

Photo: Jacques Boissinot The Canadian Press Quebec Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy Pierre Fitzgibbon at the National Assembly last May

Roxane Léouzon

Published yesterday at 7:14 p.m.

• Quebec

Several economic players expressed disappointment with Pierre Fitzgibbon’s resignation on Tuesday. “It’s a loss for the Quebec economic ecosystem. He understood the business environment in which we operate,” said Karl Blackburn, president of the Conseil du patronat du Québec, about the former businessman who became Minister of Economy, Energy and Innovation.

“We knew that he was unlikely to finish his term, but we thought it would be later in the fall,” said Michel Leblanc, CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal.

Mr. Fitzgibbon has “redefined the role” of Minister of the Economy a bit, according to Mr. Leblanc, who praised both the “superminister’s” ability to develop economic development strategies and his direct involvement in several files. He notably cited the work done by Mr. Fitzgibbon to convince Moderna to establish a vaccine plant in Quebec.

The CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal would have liked the minister to remain in office to complete the energy reform begun by the tabling of his Bill 69, which is scheduled to begin study next week in the National Assembly.

“Unfortunately, it will remain an incomplete work for him,” Mr. Blackburn also indicated. “We hope that someone will quickly take over the reins, because energy reform is so important for Quebec businesses and Quebec’s economic prosperity. There are elements that must either be adjusted or adapted. Our major industrial players need predictable energy at a competitive cost, and that is not currently the case.” »

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• Editorial | A Superdistraction

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An Unfinished Legacy

According to various researchers and economic stakeholders, the resigning minister’s contribution was decisive in the creation of a battery industry in Quebec and the imposition of a vision of the energy transition largely focused on the electric car. Industrial projects totaling more than $15 billion — from mining to battery cell manufacturing — were announced for this industry during his reign.

Many of these [electricity rate] increases are caused by a demand for electricity granted to industrial projects by former superminister Fitzgibbon, who had promised an increase in production

— Bertrand Schepper

“He was a champion in demonstrating that this is an important and promising sector for Quebec,” emphasized Yan Cimon, professor at the Faculty of Business Administration at Université Laval. According to him, what was needed was “a determined minister, with a lot of energy and persuasive talent, capable of laying the first milestones and building the foundations” of this sector.

This brand new economic sector is now on track, but it has yet to come to fruition. Several projects, including Northvolt’s, are facing slowdowns—normal turbulence in a nascent industry, according to Professor Cimon. The energy issue will, however, be crucial for the battery sector.

Bertrand Schepper, a researcher at the Institute for Socioeconomic Research and Information, pointed out that Bill 69 would lead to substantial increases in electricity rates. “Many of these increases are caused by a demand for electricity granted to industrial projects by former superminister Fitzgibbon, who had promised an increase in production,” he reported.

The researcher described the lack of public debate on the energy transition in Quebec as “Mr. Fitzgibbon's negative legacy.” “If we asked Quebecers what they wanted to do with their electricity, it’s not guaranteed that they would all say they wanted to send it to Northvolt,” he added.

The pandemic era

The president of the Conseil du patronat du Québec, Karl Blackburn, said he appreciated the work done by Mr. Fitzgibbon during the COVID-19 pandemic. “He quickly set up a crisis unit. He acted very quickly to adjust measures and programs,” he said.

Michel Leblanc, CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, believes that the minister’s decisions played a role in the vigorous recovery of Quebec’s economy after the crisis. “He recognized that the downtown area was a heavily affected area and he allocated funds to help it,” he noted.

Both agree that his replacement will have big shoes to fill.