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It was probably about the best thing Premier François Legault could say under such bleak circumstances.

With the province reeling under the weight of five long weeks of the COVID-19 crisis, Quebec could and should have done better.

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“I know a lot of Quebecers are asking themselves how we could have got ourselves in this situation,” a sombre Legault said at his Friday briefing, addressing the catastrophe unfolding in COVID-19-stricken long-term seniors’ residences (CHSLDs).

“I myself have spent several days and nights asking what I should have done differently.

“If I was able to redo one thing, I would have increased the wages of orderlies faster, even without the accord of the unions. I assume full responsibility. We entered this crisis ill equipped, and clearly the situation deteriorated for all kinds of reasons. The virus got in.”

It is a rare thing to see a politician deliver such a mea culpa, but with his handling of a crisis that will not end under increasing scrutiny, what choice did he really have?