With the signing of the final agreement on the tramway on Monday, the greater Quebec region will finally be able to aspire to be part of the big leagues in Canada, rejoices Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, Quebec’s new political lieutenant in the government Trudeau.
“It will really be an important page in the history book of Quebec City,” says the man who has been a Quebec MP for almost 10 years.
Because to enter this big league, says Mr. Duclos, Quebec had to equip itself with a modern public transportation network, like all cities of comparable size.
I emphasize that there is still reason to be frustrated that we lost so many years to essentially come back to the same project.
Mr. Duclos agrees that it could have cost less if we had proceeded more quickly, but that “better late than never”.
Think about what’s next
The elected official also believes that we should quickly plan the subsequent phases of the tramway, but also the improvement of the link between the two banks, with an SRB which could pass over the Quebec bridge, he suggests.
His government has already announced that from 2026, we will add an envelope of three billion per year intended for public transport, on a national scale.
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The Quebec government will thus be offered $700M per year, for a total of $3.5 billion over five years.
“That’s a lot of money that the Quebec government will be able to use. Either to complete the financing of phase one – we’ll see on Monday – or to move towards phase two.”
This time is the right one
Knowing what would happen with the tramway if other governments took power in Ottawa or Quebec, we cannot build the future of a society on conjectures, he argues. The minister believes that this time will be the right one, despite Pierre Poilievre’s threats not to support him.
The project, he explains, has already started, because nearly 600 million dollars had already been invested before the break decreed in 2023 by the Quebec government. “In fact, we are relaunching it […] and the concerns surrounding this project will disappear.”
He is of the opinion that “Pierre Poilievre will have to explain himself more clearly in the coming weeks, in particular on why he would want to steal money from people in the Quebec region, while everywhere else in the country, he is walking around saying that it’s extraordinary to build public transit because it creates more affordable housing.”
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In addition to the “remarkable inconsistency” of the Conservative leader’s comments, Mr. Duclos is convinced that “if we launch the work on Monday, it will be even more difficult for him to maintain this line.”
In the same way, it will be very difficult for Mr. Poilievre, the minister believes, to explain how he can support a third highway link when there is neither project, nor route, nor cost specified.
Quebec Bridge
About the Quebec Bridge, “one of the big news of 2024,” he says in reference to the federal purchase of the infrastructure, Mr. Duclos insists on the fact that we must not forget it in planning transport.
Although you will have to wait around twenty years before the paint is completely redone, we will see improvements more quickly, because certain parts also have to be replaced.
It invites us to look at how much the Jacques-Cartier Bridge has changed over the past 10 to 15 years. It should look like this for the Quebec bridge, which is still good for at least 75 years, the maximum duration for which experts pronounce for this type of infrastructure.
Quebec political lieutenant
Since his appointment as Justin Trudeau’s lieutenant in Quebec three months ago, we have also discovered a more talkative and assertive version of Mr. Duclos.
“I have always been someone who is both energetic and calm. […] My mother and my girlfriend tell me that I have hidden hyperactivity, because they know me very well.
As lieutenant, he also now has a responsibility, he says, to clearly express what many people on the ground are feeling.
Mr. Duclos was also shocked to hear François Legault ask the Bloc Québécois to bring down the government on the day of his appointment in this capacity.
He does not understand why the Premier of Quebec would want the election of a Conservative leader who promised, he said, to tear up all the agreements signed with Quebec and totaling tens of billions of dollars.
“It would be very bad for Quebecers to do that, in my opinion, and also for Mr. Legault and his government,” he says, listing the agreements on childcare services, high-speed internet, public transportation, the environment and municipal infrastructure.
Regarding the imminence of a federal election, Mr. Duclos says that he “will be there to fight” for the Quebec region, with his colleagues, and that he trusts the judgment of the people of Quebec.
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