In Québec, the last few weeks have been marked by the total solar eclipse of April 8, a rare phenomenon that occurs once every 82 years. But don't worry: your Québec Now team hasn't let itself be distracted, and once again brings you the highlights of Québec news. Happy reading!
Budgetary rigor versus austerity: back to the future
This spring should see the official start of the two-pronged review of government spending and Québec departments’ and agencies’ spending, discreetly announced when Éric Girard tabled the 2024-2025 Québec budget. While the government speaks of "budgetary rigor", the opposition denounces an exercise designed to (re)set Québec on the path to austerity, rhetoric already heard on Parliament Hill.
Poll: Parti Québécois now in majority territory
A new poll conducted after the presentation of the latest Québec budget has revealed that it is clearly not to Québecers' taste: no less than 58% of respondents consider it unsatisfactory. Even more worrying for the Legault government, the same poll also confirmed Québecers' disenchantment with the CAQ, which now attracts just 22% of voting intentions in Québec. The Parti Québécois, at 34%, is not only crushing the competition: it is now entering majority territory for the first time in many years. With unfavorable polls piling up, rumblings of a cabinet reshuffle next June are becoming increasingly insistent... To be continued!
Third highway link: the issue continues to be the talk of the town
The project for a third highway link between Québec City and Lévis continues to give the CAQ headaches. After painfully burying this flagship promise the day after his re-election, then resurrecting it following a resounding defeat in a Capitale-Nationale by-election, the Legault government is now seeing two of its ministers, namely the Minister of Education and the Minister responsible for the Capitale-Nationale, publicly contradict each other on the file. All this after the Minister of Transport launched an online public consultation on the project, the credibility of which has been attacked from all sides.
Legault asks for full immigration powers, Trudeau refuses
In mid-March, François Legault took advantage of a rare tête-à-tête with his federal counterpart Justin Trudeau to officially ask the federal government for full powers over immigration, a responsibility shared by both levels of government, in the name of protecting the French language. Faced with a clear refusal from his federal counterpart, Premier François Legault threatened to hold a referendum on immigration without giving further details.
Québec-Ottawa agreement on health financing
A few days before the March 31 deadline, Ottawa and Québec finally reached a health agreement. Québec- which had been calling for an asymmetrical agreement with no strings attached – was the last province in the country to reach an agreement with the federal government. Under the agreement, Ottawa will transfer an additional $3.7 billion over five years, which will be used in particular to improve access to home care or a secure long-term care facility for seniors.