The arm wrestling match between Quebec City Mayor Bruno Marchand and some CAQ ministers over the Quebec City tramway will be settled by the premier himself, in favor of Marchand.
Despite objections raised by Deputy Premier Genevieve Guilbault and ministers Eric Caire and Francois Bonnardel, the premier was very clear about his intentions while in Monteregie on Monday: “There is a council of ministers on Wednesday. I will vote to give the decrees to the mayor of Quebec City to go ahead.”
But Legault has one caveat: “What we want is the best social acceptability. I think that all mayors, starting with the mayor of Quebec City, want their projects to be supported by their citizens. That’s the only condition we’ll set.”
Legault took the opportunity to reiterate his displeasure at the deaf ears of the Trudeau government on this issue.
“Obviously, we also want to get our share of the money from the federal government. I don’t see why they would fund Toronto, but not [Quebec].”
The tramway issue surfaced when the premier was asked about the efforts Quebec should make to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Legault pointed out that Quebec produces the least amount of GHGs per capita out of all 60 states and provinces in North America.
“We are first out of 60, so it’s a good start. Secondly, we are one of the only jurisdictions that has a quantified plan of $7.6 billion over five years,” he added, comparing this plan to the federal government’s $9 billion seven-year plan for the entire country.
That’s when he also mentioned the $56 billion for public transit projects, including the Quebec City tramway, noting that the lion’s share of Quebec’s emissions are from transportation.
“We’re moving forward on transportation because that’s where the work is," he said.
— This report was first published in French by The Canadian Press on April 4, 2022.
