(Repentigny) Les Québécois peuvent s’attendre à une hausse salée de leur facture d’Hydro-Québec, mais aussi à un budget à saveur électorale qui viendra compenser, du moins en partie.
Publié à 16h28
De passage à Repentigny, vendredi, le premier ministre François Legault a reconnu que les paramètres législatifs n’empêcheraient pas la société d’État de peser sur le crayon, en raison de la poussée inflationniste actuelle.
C’est d’ailleurs pour cette raison qu’il a rejeté les reproches des oppositions, selon qui la facture de quelque 400 millions qu’Hydro-Québec prévoit verser à Énergir pour compenser la perte de clients qui se convertiront du gaz à l’électricité sera refilée aux consommateurs.
« C’est faux, parce que comme vous devez le savoir, on a adopté un projet de loi et les tarifs ne peuvent pas augmenter plus que l’inflation », a-t-il souligné.
En d’autres termes, les hausses « exceptionnelles » qui s’en viennent sont la faute de l’inflation. « L’inflation est à un niveau très élevé cette année. […] There is a budget coming up on March 22 that will cover, among other things, this significant increase in Hydro-Québec rates,” said the Premier.
An equal amount for all
According to him, the tariff freeze demanded by the opposition parties is not the right approach “because what that would mean is that it is the richest, who have the biggest houses, who would have the greater benefit. I think it’s better to give an amount that is the same to everyone to cover, among other things, the exceptional increases in electricity rates”.
The Prime Minister has also given other clues that this budget will contain freebies for taxpayers. “It’s not just electricity. There is the grocery store which has increased a lot, the price of rents which has increased a lot. That’s what Éric Girard is preparing. »
“I can’t reveal what’s going to be in the March 22 budget, but we’re going to help Quebecers, among other things, to deal with the exceptional increases in electricity rates. »
Help for community organizations
François Legault was in Repentigny to announce aid to local community organizations, which will come together in a new building with the CLSC, a CPE and even a bistro.
Here too, he hinted that there would be good news for community organizations. “Obviously, I can’t tell you about the budget that will be tabled on March 22, he repeated, but I know that there are a lot of community organizations that need help. »
Mr. Legault recalled that his government had increased the amounts allocated to community organizations by 11% over the past three years “and I know that more needs to be done and the Minister of Finance knows that more needs to be done”.
“It has been two difficult years. We put temporary budgets, but here we are coming with the budget, ”repeated Mr. Legault. In the same breath, he recognized “that with the labor shortage, it is increasingly difficult to recruit. Some people take better paid jobs and that poses a challenge. There are fewer volunteers. »
However, the Prime Minister is already warning the community sector that he will not meet all of their demands. “The Minister of Finance told me: they are asking for a 46% increase. I’m going to tell you right away, I don’t think we’re going to be at 46%, but there’s going to be an increase in the March 22 budget. »