Far from apologizing for the years of austerity of the Couillard era, the interim leader of the PLQ believes that the Liberals could teach the CAQ lessons in terms of budgetary rigor.
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“The CAQ has spent like sailors on the run and we don’t even have the services today. Everything is worse, the waiting lists… I could name them all for you. So, the CAQ mismanaged, did not optimize each dollar invested,” argued Marc Tanguay, Wednesday morning, commenting on Minister Eric Girard’s budget, tabled the day before.
A bit like the first years of the Couillard government, the Girard budget announced a new round of “optimization” in order to free up $3 billion over five years. Quebec intends to turn over all the stones: slimming treatment for ministries, review of programs, savings in state corporations, etc.
But unlike the CAQ, the Liberals’ budgetary rigor made it possible to deliver the goods, assures Marc Tanguay. “Services were better provided, more efficient in 2018 than they are today, while the government [caquiste] increased spending by 36%, which is significantly higher than the Canadian average during that period, which is 27%. So, they spend more, then the results are worse,” he argued to the parliamentary press.
The interim leader of the PLQ nevertheless recognizes that errors may have been made. The Liberal mandate was notably marked by human chains in front of schools, because of significant cuts.
But the Liberals, at the end of their four-year mandate, left a pot of $7 billion to their successors.
In this sense, the PLQ would have “many lessons” to give to the CAQ in terms of sound management of public funds, assures Marc Tanguay.
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“The proof, once again, is in the pudding, we had better services when we left the government,” he insisted.
The Caquistes “are the Kings of debt, deficit and then mismanagement,” said Marc Tanguay, in reference to the controversial $7 million subsidy for the visit of the NHL team to Quebec.
A few hours later, Prime Minister François Legault defended himself by recalling the situation in which the Liberals left Quebec. “We inherited significant cuts in services, including health and then education. And it’s even Gaétan Barrette who says it, that we had some catching up to do,” he commented at a press briefing.
Roll green program
Wednesday morning, the Liberal leader was also concerned about the announced end, in 2027, of the Roulez vert program to subsidize the purchase of electric vehicles.
“We’re talking about optimizing programs, of course, we’re open, but going from $400 million to $0 while maintaining a goal of two million electric vehicles doesn’t hold water. There is a “disconnect”, if you allow me the electrical analogy,” commented Marc Tanguay.
For the PQ too, the end of the program comes too soon. Even if it will eventually be necessary to put an end to subsidies, Quebec has not yet reached the “tipping point” in favor of electric vehicles, believes PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.
“And, unfortunately, it can give a second chance to oil companies and gasoline-powered cars to make an offer that is cheaper, and then we will have undone the progress we had made,” he said.
More surprisingly, Québec solidaire was the only opposition party to support the disconnection of Roulez vert.
“Electric vehicles are growing in popularity. We have urgent investments to make in public transportation. I think it was reasonable to review this program to prioritize investments in public transportation,” says the parliamentary leader of QS, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.
However, he notes, the CAQ government has still not confirmed that the sums saved will be reinvested in public transport.