Quebec budget to focus on education, health priorities: finance minister

The theme of the Legault government's next budget will be 'Priorities for Health and Education', Finance Minister Eric Girard announced on Monday.

On the eve of the tabling of the budget, Girard said that his sixth budget would be "demanding and responsible."

He emphasized the difficult context in which it has been prepared, pointing to the stagnation of the economy and negotiations in the public sector.

Last month, Premier François Legault warned that the next financial year would be a "large deficit."

"This is a budget that will reflect the work we are doing in government to promote accessible, high-quality health care, on the one hand, and on the other, a subject I am passionate about, the educational success of young people," said Girard at a news scrum at a Longueuil primary school.

To this end, the minister announced that one of the planned budgetary measures will be an additional investment of $25 million over five years for the Breakfast Club and $9 million for the Canteen for All.

Overall funding for the Breakfast Club will then rise to $75 million, while that for the Canteen for All will reach $27 million.

"This increase will enable the Breakfast Club to serve 10,000 more children every morning," said its president and CEO, Tommy Kulczyk.

Accompanied by his colleague, Education Minister Bernard Drainville, Girard also announced that he would be making a $10,000 donation to Garde-Manger Pour Tous, a food aid organization in Montreal. Drainville will offer similar assistance to a Quebec City organization, Pignon bleu.

The sums will come from the ministers' discretionary envelope.

"If we want our students to reach their full potential, they must not arrive at school hungry. You know the expression 'a crying belly has no ears'," said Drainville.

Polished shoes

Girard once again broke with the tradition of the finance minister buying shoes on the eve of a budget. The CAQ politician abandoned this last year and instead announced a $5,000 donation to a Quebec City charity.

On Monday, Girard explained that his government wanted to renew the ritual of getting a new pair of shoes: "I assure you, my shoes are in good condition and I have a good shoemaker," he said, adding that they had been "recently polished."

This year, the minister has also set aside another tradition, namely that the media appearance on the eve of the budget should take place in Quebec City, where the government is based.

Girard said that he understood the importance of the provincial capital, giving the example of a meeting that took place at his request in Quebec City with his federal counterpart Chrystia Freeland last June.

However, he did not explain why he had chosen Montreal's South Shore to present the theme of his next budget. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on March 11, 2024.