Dr. Horacio Arruda Is Reportedly Resigning
Premier François Legault is expected to announce this news during a press conference on Tuesday.
According to various sources, Dr. Horacio Arruda, Quebec’s public health director, sent in his letter of resignation on January 10.
In an alleged letter addressed to Premier François Legault shared by LaPresse, Dr. Arruda wrote “recent commentary about the credibility of our opinions and on our scientific rigour have undoubtedly caused a certain erosion of public trust."
The public health director reportedly requested that he be replaced, stating "In this context, I consider it appropriate to offer you the possibility of replacing me at the end of the term of my mandate, at least in my role of director of public health" in his apparent letter cited by multiple media outlets.
Global News reported that Legault has accepted Arruda's resignation.
On Monday night, Radio-Canada journalist Martine Biron tweeted that the premier will be announcing the fact that Dr. Arruda submitted his resignation during a press conference on Tuesday.
1/2 Le Dr. Arruda a longtemps servi les http://xn--qubcois-cyab.esqu\u00e9b\u00e9cois.es\u00a0. Les deux derni\u00e8res ann\u00e9es de pand\u00e9mie ont \u00e9t\u00e9 charni\u00e8res. Elles l'auront forc\u00e9 \u00e0 mettre de c\u00f4t\u00e9 sa vie ainsi que sa famille pour nous tous.tes et pour cela, on l'en remercie. #polqc\u00a0\u00a0https://www.tvanouvelles.ca/2022/01/10/horacio-arruda-demisionne\u00a0\u2026— Dominique Anglade (@Dominique Anglade) 1641867101
Quebec Liberal Party leader Dominique Anglade released a statement about the reported news, saying "Dr. Arruda has served Quebecers for a long time. The last two years of the pandemic have been pivotal. They will have forced him to put aside his life and his family for all of us and for that, we thank him."
Merci au Dr Horacio Arruda pour ses longues ann\u00e9es de d\u00e9vouement envers notre appareil de sant\u00e9 publique, trop longtemps n\u00e9glig\u00e9 et sous-financ\u00e9.\n\nTout au long de cette pand\u00e9mie, il a servi le Qu\u00e9bec avec sinc\u00e9rit\u00e9. C\u2019est le gouvernement de la CAQ qui a pris les d\u00e9cisions. #polqc— Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois (@Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois) 1641867571
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, co-spokesperson of Québec Solidaire, share a similar sentiment as Anglade on Twitter just minutes after.
"Thank you to Dr. Horacio Arruda for his long years of dedication to our public health system, too long neglected and underfunded. Throughout this pandemic, he served Quebec with sincerity. It was the CAQ government that made the decisions," he wrote.
At the time of writing this article, Legault had not made any public comment on the matter.
MTL Blog reached out to the premier's office for confirmation about Dr. Arruda reported resignation. This article will be updated once a response is received.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.