Legault still doesn't know the price of a 4 1/2 in Montreal
François Legault still doesn't know the price of a 4 1/2 apartment in Montreal, three years after getting bogged down on the issue.
The premier was responding on Wednesday to Official Opposition Leader Marc Tanguay, as part of the Executive Council's study of the department's budget appropriations.
In the midst of the housing crisis, Tanguay asked him if he knew the price of a 4 1/2 apartment in the metropolis. Legault then turned to the senior civil servants accompanying him.
When the government's secretary general, Dominique Savoie, provided him with a figure, he rejected it, saying that the real price was probably higher. "We'll keep digging," he said.
"I'm completely surprised that you and your whole team aren't able to say how much a 4 1/2 costs in Montreal," Tanguay said.
"We'll get back to you. I don't have the exact information and I don't want to take the chance of being wrong, even by $100 a month, because you're going to take advantage of it," Legault told his Liberal opponent.
"The blow just landed in itself, I won't need to add to it. The point is made," Tanguay said.
Legault had already stumbled on the issue of rental costs in 2021, when Québec solidaire co-spokesperson Manon Massé questioned him.
He seemed out of touch when he said that housing could be had for "$500, $600 a month" in Montreal, even though rents could "quickly rise to $1,000", according to him. The median price was $1,300.
The premier maintained that he was talking at the time about students sharing an apartment.
On Wednesday, Tanguay deplored Legault's "total lack of tangible solutions" to the housing crisis.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 17, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Poilievre kicked out of Commons after calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'wacko'
Testy exchanges between the prime minister and his chief opponent ended with the Opposition leader and one of his MPs being ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday -- and the rest of Conservative caucus walking out of the chamber in protest.
Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
Man dies after suffering cardiac arrest while waiting in ER, widow wants investigation
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
Sword-wielding man attacks passersby in London, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring 4 others
A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and police officers in a northeast London suburb Tuesday, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring four other people, British authorities said.
Conservatives push motion calling for Carney to testify, say it's about 'accountability'
The federal Conservatives made good on their promise to push for former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney to testify before MPs, resulting in a heated political debate in Ottawa on Tuesday.
Freeland previews omnibus budget bill, proposed capital gains tax change left out
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
WATCH Arnold Schwarzenegger spotted filming in Elora, Ont.
The name of the project has not been officially released although it’s widely believed to be the Netflix series FUBAR.
London Drugs stores remain closed, 'cybersecurity incident' may have breached personal data
London Drugs says it is working with third-party security experts as the company tries to reopen dozens of stores across Western Canada that were shuttered by a cybersecurity incident Sunday.
McGill requests 'police assistance' over pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University says it has 'requested police assistance' about the pro-Palestinian encampment on its lower field.