Conservative leader Éric Duhaime posted a letter on Facebook on Saturday that he says he sent to fourteen elected Caquistes from the greater Quebec City region about the cancellation of the third link by Prime Minister François Legault.
Remember that the motorway project will be replaced by a tunnel reserved for public transport.
“Faced with the betrayal of Mr. Legault, you now have only two solutions: submit to the party line or honor the confidence of your constituents,” wrote Mr. Duhaime. He said the road project was “the major promise of the CAQ” during the 2022 elections.
“I am very sincere in my outstretched hand,” he said in a telephone interview, saying that he had spoken in recent days to several Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) deputies who would be surprised and shocked by the announcement. He has not closed the door to welcoming them into his political formation, provided that they have common interests that go beyond the question of the third link.
According to him, it would also be a way of rectifying the “democratic distortion” according to which his party won no seats despite having received the support of 13% of voters.
Mr. Duhaime reiterated his commitment to build a bridge further east, which would pass through Île d’Orléans. Asked about the merits of the new tunnel project for public transport, he replied that “it’s a bit risky to decide on something that seems to be three, four notes on a napkin rather than a concrete project. “.
The government’s about-face has raised the ire of the mayor of Lévis, Gilles Lehouillier.
On the other hand, several politicians welcomed the decision. Quebec City Mayor Bruno Marchand called it “great news” on Facebook. The Parti Québécois argued that this resembled its own electoral proposal and Québec solidaire claimed that it was “a victory for science”.
The CAQ did not immediately respond to requests for The Canadian Press. The office of the deputy for Beauce-Nord, Luc Provençal, did not wish to comment on the file. The Minister of the Environment, Benoit Charette, who is not an elected representative from the Quebec region, also declined, claiming not to be aware of the letter.