Pierre Fitzgibbon, the provincial minister for economy and energy and a prominent figure of the ruling Coalition Avenir Québec cabinet, is stepping down.
Fitzgibbon’s departure comes days before Quebec’s National Assembly was set to return for the fall session. The Terrebonne MNA had been in politics since 2018, after a successful business career. He is a friend of Premier François Legault and the two studied together at the reputed Montreal business school, HEC, which is part of Université de Montréal.
Fitzgibbon told a select number of people about his resignation Tuesday, and it was soon confirmed by CBC/Radio-Canada journalists.
The minister had been charged with leading the development of the province’s electric vehicle manufacturing sector. Several major projects are underway to mine lithium for EV batteries, as well as for factories that will make parts in EV batteries.
One of those projects, the building of a Northvolt plant on Montreal’s South Shore, has seen setbacks and controversy because of the Quebec government’s efforts avoid evaluation by the province’s environmental watchdog (BAPE) — a move experts said hindered public trust.
Fitzgibbon was also the subject of six ethics investigations related to contracts awarded to companies he had business ties with.
In early 2023, he was cleared of wrongdoing in one probe into a $24-million government investment into the parent company of lighting products maker Lumenpulse (LMPG).
Fitzgibbon, 69, has often been called a “super minister” of the Legault government, due to the importance of his portfolios and because he has been seen as a kind of architect of the Quebec economy.