In tears, the Minister of Education, Bernard Drainville, apologized to the citizens of his region after the cancellation of the Third Automobile Link project, while his colleague Éric Caire, who had put his seat on the line for the tunnel , accommodated himself to the rational reasoning which motivated the radical change of this CAQ electoral commitment.
Mr. Drainville, MP for Lévis, broke down in front of journalists by beginning a prepared statement to react to the decision, officially confirmed a few minutes earlier by the Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault.
“It’s a very emotional subject,” he began before stopping, his voice breaking, his eyes watering.
Mr. Drainville continued by saying that he regrets not being able to respect the commitment in favor of the construction of the tunnel between Quebec and Lévis.
“I first want to apologize to the people of Lévis, of Chaudière-Appalaches,” he said.
Upon his return to politics, in the last election, Mr. Drainville embraced the CAQ project for an under-river tunnel, for which he had nevertheless expressed serious reservations in civilian life.
“The commitment I made was sincere,” he said.
The minister admitted that the government’s about-face has an impact for voters in his region.
“I understand their disappointment and I understand their anger,” he said.
Despite this brutal turnaround caused by a reduction in road traffic due to teleworking, Mr. Drainville has not completely given up hope.
“A downtown-to-downtown connection is something I believe in,” he said.
Still in office
The Minister of Cybersecurity and Digital, Éric Caire, has said that he does not intend to give up his elective office.
“I trust the judgment of my fellow citizens, as I have always done in the last six terms,” he said.
Mr. Caire, MP for La Peltrie, will meet with them to explain the arguments that motivate the government to limit access to public transit in the tunnel.
“I can understand people feeling betrayed,” he said.
Mr. Cairo had promised to fight for the project until his “last drop of blood”. He was also determined to resign if the project was shelved.
On Thursday, Mr. Caire realized that the pandemic has “drastically” reduced traffic and that costs have increased.
“In my soul and conscience, I who am an ardent defender of this project, today, mathematics means that I cannot defend this project”, he reasoned.
injured
The Minister of International Relations, Martine Biron, who represents the riding of Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, also made the leap into politics by endorsing the tunnel project.
“I defended him tooth and nail,” she said. I’m hurt. »
The member for Bellechasse, Stéphanie Lachance, pointed out that the means of transportation of her constituents is the automobile.
“For Bellechasse, this is not a winning formula,” she commented on the new proposal.
Beauceville MP Luc Provençal said it remains to be seen whether the effect of the pandemic will be permanent on road travel.
“I’m not going to talk about a lack of vision, I’m just going to say that there is new data that leads us to think differently. »
Mr. Provençal acknowledged that this decision provokes anger among elected municipal officials in his region.
“Surely there are people who will question their support. »