Tramway: the conservatives’ refusal is “a total injustice”, according to Marchand

The citizens of Quebec will be victims of “total injustice” if the Conservatives carry out their plan to slash federal funding for the tramway, warns Bruno Marchand.

At the microphone of the show First hour On Wednesday, the chief magistrate responded to the comments of Pierre Paul-Hus, Quebec lieutenant for Pierre Poilievre, who repeated the day before that a conservative government would not invest a penny in the project. Nonsense, according to the mayor of Quebec.

It is the largest public investment project in the history of Quebec. They say: “We won’t take that.” Yet, in Edmonton, you gave it! In Vancouver you gave it! In Hamilton you gave it with our taxes too! Thunders the mayor of Quebec. While it was time to offer it to others. While it was time to invest in their companies, while it was time to invest in their employees, their workers: you did it.

The benefits of the Quebec tramway project are estimated at nearly $12.5 billion in private and public investments, according to the mayor.

Now, in Quebec you are going to withdraw that and you are going to say: “Quebec, you are going to do without federal capital.” There is total injustice.

Currently, federal funding amounts to $1.5 billion of the $7.6 billion that the TramCité project is expected to cost.

Interference criticized

The Conservatives accused Justin Trudeau’s Liberals of being centralist by interfering in provincial areas of jurisdiction. For the mayor of Quebec, the conservatives, even if they are not yet elected, are already doing little better. It doesn’t matter if the government of Quebec wants to do the project, if the City of Quebec wants to do the project, “we are going to say no because we are the ones in the government and we are the ones who will choose.” We are moving away from the government of Stephen Harper, who did not want to interfere in provincial issuesbelieves the mayor.

Honestly, it’s a 180 degree turnaround. It is to come and say: we are going to come and play in the areas of jurisdiction of the provinces and, in this case, the cities. It doesn’t matter what the premier of Quebec says, it doesn’t matter what the mayor of Quebec says.

Bruno Marchand remains open to dialogue with Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre on the project. Mr. Paul-Hus can show all his closure, it surprises me to say: “We are going to be in government and we will not listen to anyone”he adds.

He does not intend to interfere in the next electoral campaign. I think we need to continue discussing, the election is not over. Voters are intelligent enough to make their decisions based on their different criteria.concludes the mayor.