A Bloc Québécois MP is publicly contradicting the management lessons of his provincial PQ allies
I recently came across a post from Bloc Québécois MP Jean-Denis Garon where he takes a firm stance against a consultant who is notably associated with the methodology presented in the book How Big Things Get Done (by Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner).
It is striking to see this pushback, considering that the Bloc’s counterparts in the Parti Québécois (PQ) have explicitly cited this exact book, at least twice, as a foundational reference for how major public infrastructure projects SHOULD be managed in Quebec.
During the parliamentary commission on Bill 61 (Loi édictant la Loi sur Mobilité Infra Québec), PQ MNA for Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Joël Arseneau, repeatedly utilized the book’s principles to critique government planning and argue for better management. Here are the documented instances from the Journal des débats:
September 11, 2024: During the Commission des transports et de l'environnement, M. Arseneau referenced the book's core lesson:« [...] "How big things get done" et une des leçons de ce livre-là, c'est : Il faut très bien faire la planification, il faut prendre son temps pour la planification et il faut aller vite pour la réalisation. »
October 3, 2024: M. Arseneau again cited the book to emphasize the need for a rigorous approach to infrastructure:« [...] How Big Things Get Done, ce projet... ce livre-là, donc, qui dit : Pensez longtemps, puis agissez rapidement. Donc, mettre de l'ordre là-dedans. »
It is difficult to reconcile the Parti Québécois’ public reliance on the expertise and methodology found in How Big Things Get Done with M. Garon’s dismissive stance toward a key figure associated with that same body of work. For a party that prides itself on internal coherence and rigorous analysis of public spending, this contradiction is, at the very least, confusing for those of us trying to understand the Bloc’s actual stance on infrastructure planning.
Are they supporting these planning methods or rejecting them? They seem to be doing both.