Politics · Canada · 2 hrs ago
Jacinthe-Eve Arel named chief of staff to Quebec government minister
Jacinthe-Eve Arel is joining Quebec’s Parti Québécois government as chief of staff to Minister Sébastien D’Astous.
Arel announced her appointment on social media on Thursday.
D’Astous is responsible for government efficiency, and his ministry is tasked in part with reducing government bureaucracy.
Arel says she wants the state to meet its responsibilities while removing obstacles it has created, and to use public resources for essential services.
Her move is notable because she has run for the CAQ and the Conservative Party of Quebec: she was a CAQ candidate in 2018 and a Conservative candidate in 2022.
She has also worked in media and previously served in the office of then-Immigration Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette.
Arel will work with D’Astous and his team on the ministry’s responsibilities.
Jacinthe-Eve Arel has been named chief of staff to Quebec minister Sébastien D’Astous.
Arel announced the appointment on social media on Thursday evening.
D’Astous is the minister responsible for government efficiency and also oversees Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Nord-du-Québec.
Arel said she joined the Parti Québécois government to support a state that takes responsibility and removes barriers it has created.
She has worked in media, government, health services and business, and was a candidate for two other parties.
- Who
- Jacinthe-Eve Arel, a political commentator and former candidate.
- What
- She was named chief of staff to Sébastien D’Astous.
- When
- She announced the appointment on Thursday evening, October 29, 2026.
- Where
- Quebec. Arel will work with D’Astous in the provincial government.
- Why
- Arel said she joined the government to support her views on freedom, responsibility and a state that assumes its responsibilities.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Arel ran as a candidate for the Coalition avenir Québec.
She worked in the office of then-Immigration Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette.
Arel ran as a candidate for the Parti conservateur du Québec.
Arel announced that she had been named chief of staff to Sébastien D’Astous.
- Appointee
- Jacinthe-Eve Arel
- Minister
- Sébastien D’Astous
- Role
- Chief of staff
- Announcement
- Thursday evening, October 29, 2026
- Earlier party candidacy
- Coalition avenir Québec, 2018; Parti conservateur du Québec, 2022
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What people are saying
Every dollar entrusted to the state contains a piece of someone’s life. Wasting that money means disposing of a lifetime that no one can give back.
We can defend our convictions without looking down on those of others, recognize a good idea wherever it comes from, and work together without agreeing on everything.
My attachment to freedom and responsibility led me to want a sovereign Quebec, master of its choices and fully responsible for its future.