Tramway: QS makes CAQ responsible for higher costs

Parliamentary leader of Québec solidaire, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, CAQ is responsible for the increase in the bill for the tramway project in Quebec, which according to our information has tripled.

• Read more: $12 to $13 billion for the Quebec Tramway

• Read more: This week, it’s make or break the tram

• Read more: Quebec Tramway: Jean-Marc Léger defends his survey but believes the city gave an “incompetent” presentation

After leaving the Blue Room on Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Nadeau-Dubois responded, “If CAQ hadn’t put water on the program’s gas over the years, we wouldn’t be here.”

“If the costs have increased it is the CAQ’s responsibility because the costs have increased because of the delays and the CAQ is responsible for these delays,” continued the Member for Gouin.

According to him, it is the government’s responsibility to “continue to support Quebec City” to make the project happen.

A step back is “unacceptable”.

Earlier in the day, QS co-spokesperson Manon Maas warned that any backtracking on tramway construction was “unacceptable”. He warned that if this is the path Francois Legault decides to take, the government will find unity on its path.

“Quebec’s national capital must have a structural network and all the work that has been done over the years, over the decades, is moving us towards a tramway,” argued the co-spokesperson of Québec solidaire on Tuesday.

The Prime Minister has been repeating since Friday that “it may be necessary to adjust the program” to make it “more acceptable to citizens” and that it “better responds to the needs of the people.” “It will take a reasonable cost,” the CAQ chairman reiterated on Monday.

However, as of Tuesday afternoon, he declined to respond to the Journal’s new information, which now puts the project at $12 to $13 billion. “Listen, I’m going to read the data,” said Mr.

CAQ President and Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility Geneviève Guilbault, Minister responsible for the national capital, Jonathan Julien, did not want to focus on the matter.

“I think Mayor Marchand mentioned that at the end of tomorrow, there’s going to be a press conference with some information. We’ll be following this very closely,” said Mr. Julien.

“We’ll have to see what Mr. Marchand has to say,” declared Ms. Guilbault, who wanted to react later.

Sticks on wheels

At a time when support for the tram plan has fallen to 36%, according to a new Leger poll, Solidarity activist Manon Maas has accused the CAQ of not making the “necessary effort” to promote it.

Instead, for four years, “the CAQ continues to put obstacles in the way of the tram,” lamented Mr.^me Massage, Tuesday morning.

The PQ and Liberals have indicated that the tram project must go ahead before the new cost estimate is published in our pages.

“We believe it,” interim Liberal leader Mark Tanguay said in the morning.

Pascal Paradis, the new PQ MP for Jean-Dalon, argued that “Quebec deserves its structural public transit program.” While at his side, his colleague Joel Arsenio criticized some CAQ elected officials for doing everything they could to “sabotage the project”.

The only “positive signal” sent recently by François Legault: mentions that Quebec needs “heavy transport”, which the MP for Îles-de-la-Madeleine underlined.