The Council of Ministers will appoint Michael Sabia as head of Hydro-Québec next week. A “good guy” who has “many qualities,” said his ex-employee at the Caisse de depot etplacement du Québec, Christian Dubé.
• Also read: Michael Sabia returns to Quebec as head of Hydro-Québec
“We should make an announcement for Hydro-Québec’s presidency next week,” Prime Minister François Legault said.
On Tuesday, the name of Sophie Brochu’s successor was leaked to the media. This is the former CEO of Caisse de depot etplacement from 2009 to 2020, Michael Sabia, 69 years old.
Health Minister Christian Dubé meanwhile briefly praised Michael Sabia. “We will wait for his appointment […]. He has many qualities. Many qualities. Lots of qualities,” he said.
Photo archive QMI Agency, Joël Lemay
In August 2014, Michael Sabia appointed Christian Dubé as the Caisse’s first Vice President for Quebec. He had given up his post as CAQ MP for Lévis to join Mr Sabia’s team.
In English, Mr Dubé added that his ex-partner was “a good guy”.
Mr. Dubé resigned from the Caisse in September 2018 to stand again under the colors of the CAQ. Upon his departure, he received a total of $1.8 million in bonuses owed to him by the institution for 2016 and 2017.
Silent Fitzgibbon
However, the current deputy minister at the Treasury in Ottawa, Mr Sabia, is not from the energy sector, despite suggestions from the entourage of Minister for Economy and Energy Pierre Fitzgibbon.
The latter also refused to confirm Michael Sabia’s appointment.
Photo archive, QMI Agency
“We will wait, there will be an appointment to be made in due course,” Minister Fitzgibbon said, also refusing to discuss Michael Sabia’s energetic qualities. “He wasn’t named […] When we appoint the new President, we will discuss all of these issues.
Pierre Fitzgibbon sat on the board of the Caisse de Depot et Placement during Michael Sabia’s presidency.
Capability? Nationalist?
For their part, the opposition does not doubt Michael Sabia’s leadership qualities, but they do doubt those in connection with the energy transition.
“The problem remains the same: will Mr. Sabia buy the Caquiste vision versus the energy dollarama? Will Mr. Sabia be free to say what he thinks about Quebec’s energy future? And will Quebecers today come into their own with a very clear vision of energy?” said Liberal Monsef Derraji.
Solidarity Haroun Bouazzi hopes that Mr. Sabia will come and explain his vision to the National Assembly.
“Mr. Sabia has a lot of experience in management and finance. The quality of management is very important, but the financial issue is not of interest to Hydro-Québec (…) They are very complicated operational issues, energy transition issues. …Unfortunately, Hydro-Québec doesn’t have that expertise, but other than that, we’ll give the runner a chance,” he said.
PQ Pascal Bérubé believes that Mr Sabia does not really embody “a wind of renewal” and that he does not have a nationalist profile.
“The Liberals liked him a lot, the Caquistes liked him too. Ontario native Michael Sabia has had a remarkable career in finance, but Hydro-Québec, as has been shown in recent years (…) is not what it used to be. There is a change, an energetic, ecological change. I’m not convinced that Mr. Sabia has that background,” he said. The latter also had fun recalling Bernard Drainville’s harsh words to Mr Sabia in 2009 when he was made a member of the Caisse.
“I was with him in government and I implied that it made no sense for him to be there, that he was not a nationalist,” he said.
Today, Bernard Drainville said that Michael Sabia “has done an excellent job as CEO of the Caisse”.
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