Rent rises of 5.9%: the PLQ asks Quebec to intervene

Quebec Liberal Party interim leader Marc Tanguay speaks to the media before the party's caucus meeting in Orford, Quebec, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (The Canadian Press/Christinne Muschi) (The Canadian Press)

In response to Quebec’s housing tribunal (TAL) suggestion of a substantial 5.9 per cent increase in rent prices, interim Liberal leader Marc Tanguay is calling on the Legault government to intervene to reduce this increase, as it did to cap hydroelectricity rates at 3 per cent.

“The 5.9 per cent increase in rents that will be allowed does not pass the test. It’s unacceptable! It needs to be reviewed. The minister can act; the Legault government can act on this, but they won’t,” he said on Wednesday.

Asked to clarify his thoughts, Tanguay said that the government had already done so with the Régie de l'énergie for hydroelectricity rates.

“The government can choose to step in and provide occasional support to Quebecers. This rent increase will indeed have a significant impact on the budgets of thousands of Quebecers starting July 1. (…) We cannot sit idly by. This decision, and its impact, must be reviewed,” he added.

The TAL is suggesting an average rent increase of 5.9 per cent for 2025, a sharp rise compared to growth estimates in recent years

This estimate applies to an unheated basic rental unit. Under this scenario, a tenant currently paying $1,000 in rent could see their bill climb to $1,059 upon renewing their lease.

For 2024, the TAL projected a 4 per cent rent increase, compared to 2.3 per cent in 2023 and 1.28 per cent in 2022.

The Liberal leader is going further than his housing critic, Virginie Dufour, who said Tuesday, “I don’t think it’s possible to intervene at this stage and reduce an increase.”

The Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) is also calling for changes to how the TAL calculates its suggested rent increases.

On Tuesday, Housing Minister France-Élaine Duranceau stated she has no intention of intervening or altering the calculation method. She reiterated that the solution to the current crisis lay in increasing the supply of housing.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Jan. 22, 2025.