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Summary

Arruda Swore In Front Of Dubé In A Press Conference & Then Apologized Immediately

He let it slip during an impassioned rant about politics... but can we blame him?
Reporter

Quebec public health director Horacio Arruda swore multiple times in a press conference on October 8, using the word "bullshit" during an exuberant rant about critics judging Quebec's handling of the coronavirus.

He said he wouldn't be guiding the province's response to the virus if he didn't believe in the decisions that public health officials have made thus far.

"The day I feel it's bullshit, well, Director Arruda, he won't be there, because Dr. Arruda doesn't have credibility to lose," he said, speaking about himself in the third person.

Editor's Choice: Arruda Says He Gets 'Death Threats' & 'Abusive Emails' On The Daily

I won't play the political game if I'm not comfortable with [their decisions].

Horacio Arruda on Quebec public health officials' recommendations

The public health director immediately apologized to health minister Christian Dubé, who was sitting to his left.

"The day they do bullshit . . . excuse me for using those terms, Minister [Dubé], I apologize."

Arruda responded to critics by clarifying the process around decision-making with regard to COVID-19 in the province.

He said that coronavirus numbers change from day to day, and that his team makes decisions based on expert recommendations moment to moment. 

"It's going so fast that we don't have time to sit down . . . We give the broad outlines, we adjust the elements," he said.

"Our directors make recommendations, and you can believe me or not believe me, but I can say it because I'm an honest guy — we always went a little further than what we had sometimes [been] recommended." 

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    • Lea Sabbah was a Staff Writer for MTL Blog. Previously, Lea was a radio host on CJLO 1690 AM and her work has been published by Global News, the Toronto Star, Le Devoir and the National Observer. In 2019, she was part of the investigative team that uncovered lead in Montreal's drinking water — a story which won Quebec's Grand Prix Judith-Jasmin. She's a graduate of the journalism program at Concordia University.

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