For a moment, many thought he would cross the room. The CAQ MP for Saint-Jérôme, Youri Chassin, does not hide it: the disappointment of not having been chosen for the Council of Ministers was not easy to digest, but never the option of imitating Claire Samson n was considered.

"At some point, you digest it and then move on," he said in an interview.

Re-elected on October 3 with 12,800 majority votes, twice as many as in the previous election, the economist, who contented himself with a post of parliamentary assistant during his first term, hoped to finally gain access to a ministerial post.

“I had good directions, people were pushing for me,” recalls Mr. Chassin.

On October 20, the day of the swearing-in of the Council of Ministers, he knew he would not be called to the front. “There was a moment that was perhaps more difficult, personally, to live with, and then I admit it. [...] There was a disappointment. »

Going “baboon” at the ceremony and experiencing his “disappointment” in public was out of the question for him. It took him "a few days to get back to being in a good mood". By refusing all interview requests, the "rumor machine" went into overdrive, he said.

The call of the foot

"I heard the call of the foot that was going on publicly," said Mr. Chassin, referring to the raiding of Conservative leader Eric Duhaime. The two men never had a conversation. Although he is well known for his right-wing ideas, Youri Chassin assures that joining the PCQ is a possibility he has never considered.

"I never thought about leaving my political family," he summed up.

"Maybe some were disappointed that I didn't cross the room, but in all honesty, it wasn't considered, it's not something like me."

Why did you wait until very recently to finally break your silence? “With the end of the year comes a kind of opportunity to take stock,” retorted Mr. Chassin.

"I think it's interesting to talk about what's to come. I am very enthusiastic," explained the MP, who says he is thrilled by the challenge entrusted to him by the Prime Minister, namely that of fulfilling the commitment to make two private mini-hospitals a reality, as parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé.

“I am an economist by training. [...] In all honesty, I did not expect it. »

Public vs. private: a sensitive debate

If he has often defended the idea of ​​making more room for private health, he refuses to be labeled as his opponents try to portray him.

He is aware, however, that this is a "sensitive" debate. "Because the words 'public' and 'private' have a lot of connotations," he said. “There are people who are very attached to the public aspect in itself, recognizes the deputy. [...] Personally, I am very attached to the accessible and quality aspect. After that, whether public or private..."

The schedule for the completion of these two mini-hospitals should become clearer in 2023. "We did not question the electoral commitment: by 2025, we want these two mini-hospitals, one in the east of Montreal, one in the region of Quebec, exist and function", indicates the deputy.

"I have been entrusted with a great mission, an important priority file for the government, I think it is a great mark of confidence. So I'm going to put all the gum, "promises Youri Chassin.