Quebec defends $6.5 million subsidy for Presidents' Cup

The Mayor of Ile-Bizard-Sainte-Genevieve, Doug Hurley, is not happy with the City of Montreal's traffic plan for the Presidents Cup.

The Legault government is defending its $6.5 million subsidy to the Presidents Cup, a prestigious golf tournament.

On Wednesday morning, the three opposition parties joined together in criticizing the subsidy, pointing to the record $11 billion deficit and the crying needs in several public sectors.

"Quebec is in the red. We're having trouble replacing a toilet at the Cégep du Vieux Montréal," Liberal MNA Marwah Rizqy told reporters.

The Presidents Cup, which brings together the best golfers in the world, is being held this week at the Royal Montreal Golf Club.

The PGA generates annual revenues of US$1.9 billion.

"We're being told that there isn't enough money for our CEGEPs to buy books, to provide good public transport services, (...) to fund our community groups,' said Quebec Solidaire (QS) parliamentary leader Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois. "So there's not enough money for all that, but there is enough money for a golf tournament, (...) $6.5 million for a few days of professional golf played by millionaires!

"In Quebec, are we so awash in money that we don't know what to do with it that we can afford to invest $6.5 million in a company with annual revenues of $1.9 billion?"

For his part, PQ MNA Pascal Bérubé pointed out that the amount allocated to the PGA tournament roughly corresponds to what Quebec's theatres are asking for to return to profitability.

"It's all a question of choice," he said. "From the moment we have an $11 billion shortfall, every expense has to be scrutinized."

The Presidents Cup will attract around 45,000 tourists and generate $71 million in spinoffs, Tourism Minister Caroline Proulx said on Wednesday, pointing out that the proceeds will go to the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC).

"The tourism industry is Quebec's third-largest economic engine, after the aluminium smelter and the aerospace industry. In 2023 alone, our department generated $4.1 billion in foreign currency. That's a lot of money for (...) schools and hospitals," she said.

New Jersey and North Carolina, the last two venues for the Presidents' Cup, did not commit any public funds, according to the daily La Presse on Wednesday.

"We have to have infrastructure that meets the PGA's specifications," Proulx explained at a news scrum. "It's for moving infrastructure. There are no salaries paid to the players."

After the Kings, the PGA

Last spring, the Legault government caused an uproar when it announced that it was financing two preseason games for the Los Angeles Kings at the Centre Vidéotron in Quebec City.

Finance Minister Eric Girard said at the time that the Kings would receive a subsidy of up to $7 million.

"You'd think that common sense would have kicked in again and that the Coalition Avenir Québec would have come to its senses, but no, it's still going on," Nadeau-Dubois hammered home on Wednesday.

"At some point, there are limits to spending public money on secondary matters. Six and a half million dollars would support a community group for a decade."

The Kings will hold part of their training camp and play two preseason games from Oct. 2 to 5 in Quebec City.

They will host the Boston Bruins in their first warm-up game on Oct. 3, before taking on the Florida Panthers two days later. Hundreds of tickets remain unsold to date.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Sept. 25, 2024.