The weeks follow each other and the situation at Maisonneuve-Rosemont hospital continues to deteriorate. All of Quebec has seen what was going on there: squirrels, water leaks, poor air quality, holes in the walls that hold with spit, exploding windows and power outages. A real shame that depresses people from my constituency, but above all who jeopardizes their lives and their security.
Despite the numerous cries of alarm and the urgent need, the Legault government continues to stretch its word and break its promise to start renovation work. It had to start in October 2024 first, then finally … now; Everything has been ready in the field for a year to start the work.
François Legault, Christian Dubé and Sonia Lebel keep repeating that there would be no money available to start the work in the hospital. Whenever he is asked to start the work of the HMR, Legault places us in front of the dilemma that he should put an end to the work in other hospitals. However, this is a false dilemma, a staging, since the government reserved the sum of $ 15 billion in a central envelope for the Quebec infrastructure plan (PQI) “to ensure financial contribution to major projects”. This money is available and could be used immediately on HMR, with approval by the Council of Ministers and the Treasury Board.
Decision of political interest
Clearly, the complete registration of the HMR project in the central envelope would not harm these projects already in realization or the maintenance of existing assets funded by the PQI budget of $ 164 billion, excluding central envelope. The CAQ is just trying to save time and is a new way of diversioning to keep these 15 billion for other purposes. As the CAQ’s decision to delay the renovation work of the HMR is first and foremost a decision of political interest, you obviously suspect the place all that blocks: at the Prime Minister’s office.
We are therefore in front of the scenario in which the CAQ would retain the 15 billion of this envelope for its electoral commitments, especially that of the third link. To do this, François Legault’s ploy would be to announce only the parking of the HMR for less than $ 100 million, without provisioning the sums for the subsequent phases of the hospital. A few months before the elections, he would formally engage in all the phases of certain projects which are more paid electorally as the third link, so that there would be no more sums available for the HMR in this central envelope.
This scenario frames perfectly with the statements of Geneviève Guilbault, who said on several occasions that wanted to link the Quebec government in the construction of the third before the end of the mandate. Sums of $ 46 million and $ 15 million were also engaged two weeks ago for other studies on the third link, while nothing moves to the HMR and that we have already spent $ 120 million in studies on the third link that led to nothing.
Engagements
Today I personally ask François Legault to take responsibility and to award the sums he had promised several times for the renovation of the Maisonneuve-Rosemont hospital. The only two criteria that should be used to prioritize projects are the level of obsolescence of the installation and the needs of the population. There is no doubt that the HMR, which serves 10% of the Quebec population and which has been falling in ruins for so many years, has been at the top of the list in these two categories.
I also ask François Legault to get involved, as he had promised, for the entire envelope of five billion necessary for the entire work. All the major previous hospital projects, from the CHUM to the Quebec CHU, have benefited from a global financial commitment. The HMR should not be an exception. East of Montreal needs a hospital, not a parking lot. It is a national emergency. HMR does not only care for Montrealers. He has fields of expertise that benefit all Quebec. Indeed, it is one of the only French-speaking hospitals that can treat mothers and newborns in the same establishment. He is also a leader in the field of sarcomas, the transplant of the cornea, and much more. Sixty percent of surgeries and external clinic visits are users outside Montreal.
By refusing to provision the necessary five billion now, the government turns its back on all Quebecers, because it betrays its speech and demonstrates that we are managed in the short week, with doubts and doubtful arbitrariness. And in doing so, we abandon a hospital in crisis, to the detriment of thousands of patients and professionals.
The time is no longer half-measures or false promises. The time is to respect the commitments made. Quebecers will judge even more severely than they already reign with the CAQ if the Prime Minister, François Legault, continues to refuse to renovate this hospital and not to respect his word.
Photo provided by Quebec National Assembly
Paul St-Pierre Plamondon
Leader of the Parti Québécois
