A potential next Premier of Québec has said that if his party wins the provincial election this October, he will withdraw the province’s financial contribution to the proposed high-speed rail project.
On Tuesday, June 9, Parti Québécois (PQ) Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, announced that he will withdraw Québec from the federal government’s high-speed rail project. With Québec’s share amounting to nearly $40 billion in the project, a Parti Québécois government will demand that the funds be released unconditionally so that it can invest them in priority infrastructure for Quebecers: roads, hospitals, schools, and public transit in cities.
“At the Parti Québécois, we have been fighting against waste for years. I cannot justify to Quebecers that their money be invested in a colossal project that, according to studies, will have little impact on traffic on our roads and is highly likely to be a huge financial fiasco,” explained St-Pierre Plamondon in a post on his social media.
In a press release, the PQ also criticized the federal government’s approach, stating the consultations are opaque, farmers are worried, and the expropriation plan is vague.
The PQ Leader further elaborated that Québec’s share of the Alto project could be instead spent on other needs, referring to the Quebec government’s asset maintenance deficit of $45 billion. Nearly 40 per cent of hospital buildings and 60 per cent of schools in Québec are considered outdated. Roads now require $31 billion in repairs.
St-Pierre Plamondon called the federal government’s approach to the high-speed rail project disrespectful to citizens due to changes in the Expropriation Act which make it easier for the federal government to acquire land for the rail line.
Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has promised to hold a referendum on if Québec should secede from Canada or not if the Parti Québecois forms the provincial government after the October election.
The electoral districts north of Montréal which the Alto Ottawa to Montréal line could potentially pass through are all currently represented in the legislature by members of the governing Coalition Avenir Québec (PQ), or the PQ.
