QUEBEC CITY - Former Premier Philippe Couillard, a recognized health expert, has agreed to break the silence he had imposed on himself since October 2018 to comment on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in Quebec, a health crisis of unprecedented proportions. Incidentally, he took the liberty of making a few recommendations to Premier François Legault on the approach to take so that Quebec can emerge from this tragic episode without too many scratches. Because from now on, his government must get down to the task of apprehending "what's coming," said the man who led Quebec from 2014 to 2018, in an exclusive interview with The Canadian Press, published Monday, in his first political outing in the media since his crushing defeat in October 2018. In a crisis situation, such as the one currently shaking Quebec and the world, governments must respond in a hurry and in the turmoil of decisions to be made every day, with their noses glued to the glass. But that is not enough, he says, because we must, at the same time, prepare for what comes next, even though the crisis has only just begun. He therefore recommends that his successor equip himself with a kind of political periscope, by setting up a crisis exit cell as of now, in order to anticipate the decisions to be taken when the storm has calmed down.
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