A cement plant in the Gaspe has soaked up hundreds of millions of dollars of public funds and it’s time to turn off the faucet, say both the CAQ government and Quebec Solidaire, in a rare show of unity.
The McInnis cement plant in Port-Daniel is now rumoured to be for sale “as a result of bad decisions” made by Parti-Quebecois and Liberal governments, the Quebec Solidaire spokesperson handling the dossier, Ruba Ghazal, said at a press briefing, Tuesday.
Ghazal thinks the Legault government should run from what she described as a “polluting” company that is a “bottomless pit for squandered public money.”
Critical of the mega project himself, Premier Francois Legault closed the door to any additional government investment on Monday.
The Parti-Quebecois hopes at least, the Gaspe company will be sold to a Quebec buyer. Now is the time, said Joel Arseneau, the MNA for Iles-de-la Madelaine, for the CAQ to flex its nationalism, as it relates to the province’s economy.
Two potential buyers have stepped forward: Brazilian company Votorantim and another from Quebec, Beton Provincial.
“We have a plant located in the Gaspe, which creates jobs and is increasingly productive. Rather than offering the factory as a gift to Brazilian business people, we will make sure it benefits Quebec,” Arseneau said at a PQ press briefing on another subject.
It’s suspected the Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec wants to withdraw the more than $450 million it invested in the project.
Investissement Quebec also holds $100 million worth of shares in the company, and has loaned McInnis Cement $250 million.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 1, 2020.
