Public transit: 'Easier for mayors to beg' than manage funds, says Legault
It's "always easier for mayors to beg" the government "than to clean up their own spending," said Premier François Legault on Thursday, under pressure from cities to pay off municipal transit company deficits.
He was defending Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault, who is under attack from all sides for her controversial statements.
In the Montreal metropolitan region, the transit shortfall is estimated at $561 million, but the minister had suggested on Wednesday that it wasn't her job to manage public transit in Quebec.
"I don't trust Ms. Guilbault," retorted Quebec City Mayor Bruno Marchand, still irritated by the government's decision to withdraw the tramway project from his city and entrust it to the Caisse de dépôt et placement.
"There is no vision of sustainable mobility. For her, transportation means developing roads. With that, we're back to Joseph-Arthur's 'Temps d'une paix,'" he continued, evoking a famous soap opera set in the 1920s.
"I have total confidence in Geneviève Guilbault, and what I say to Bruno now is: let's look ahead,” said Legault, during an announcement in the capital where the mayor was present.
"I understand that mayors would like more money from the Quebec government. I've been in politics long enough to know that for mayors, it's always easier to beg Quebec than to clean up their spending," said Legault.
He insisted that his government would continue discussions with the municipalities, which must "do their part."
At the press conference, he refused to specify where they should "clean up their act," while pointing out that their employees are paid 30 per cent more than those in the Quebec public service.
During question period, the CAQ leader faced numerous attacks from the opposition parties.
"Does he consider it his government's role to have a vision for transportation and take responsibility for it, or does he consider that it's not his job to manage it?" asked PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.
"Is the leader of the PQ telling us that the Société de transport de Montréal, the Société de transport de Laval, the transportation companies should be managed by the Quebec government?” replied Legault.
The premier pointed out that his government finances 48 per cent of the transit companies' operating expenses, compared to 39 per cent under the Liberals.
Guilbault, who has called for an audit of the transit companies, said it was only natural that the government should have its say before absorbing the deficits.
She made a point of clarifying what she had said the day before: when she said that Quebec had no business meddling in the management of public transport, she meant operations, service on routes, hiring, collective agreements, maintenance, and so on.
These decisions are made by transit company managers, she said.
"Despite everything, we pay a large part of their deficits. Does (the opposition MNA) think it's normal that the transit companies' deficits are systematically passed on to the government, and that we should systematically pay them without being held accountable?" she said.
- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 25, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Three dead, two hospitalized, following collision in Fredericton: police
Three people have died and two have been hospitalized after a speeding car struck a tree and landed on another vehicle in Fredericton Sunday morning.
Amid climate change warnings, Canadians lukewarm on electric vehicles
Amid scientists' warnings that nations need to transition away from fossil fuels to limit climate change, Canadians are still lukewarm on electric vehicles, according to a study conducted by Nanos Research for CTV News.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Madonna's biggest-ever concert transforms Rio's Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor
Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.
1 person killed and 23 injured in a bus crash in northern Maryland, police say
One person was killed and 23 others were injured when a bus crashed early Sunday on Interstate 95 in northern Maryland, police said.
Nylander defends Leafs' core after playoff exit, Toronto again picks up the pieces
William Nylander stood in a solemn visitors locker room at TD Garden just before midnight. The Maple Leafs had battled back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Boston Bruins with consecutive 2-1 victories - including one that required extra time - in their first-round playoff series to push the club's Original Six rival to the limit before suffering a devastating Game 7 overtime loss. Nylander's message was emphatic.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
‘Love has no boundaries’: Sask. couple in their 90s and 80s get married
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
Video shows gaggle of geese stopping traffic on Highway 1 near Vancouver
A mother goose and her goslings caused a bit of a traffic jam on a busy stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Vancouver Saturday.