The creation of the Mobilité Infra Québec agency paves the way for a “revolution”, according to the Minister of Transport, where the opposition suspects, on the contrary, a “major centralization operation” that risks further politicizing transport issues and encroaching on the areas of jurisdiction of cities.
The study of Bill 61, the legislative piece that provides for the creation and supervision of Mobilité Infra Québec, began Tuesday in parliamentary committee. The new agency, long touted by its creator, Minister Geneviève Guilbault, must eventually become responsible for carrying out “opportunity analyses, planning or carrying out complex transportation projects” at the government’s request.
Since “the movement and appetite for public transit are relatively new in Quebec,” explained the minister, her department does not have the experience to design or manage major public transit projects. The government sees, in the emergence of an agency staffed by “a small team with very specific expertise,” a way to dream bigger, cheaper and shorter in this area.
“This will revolutionize the way we develop public transportation,” believes the elected official from Louis-Hébert. We can expect, she stressed, a substantial reduction in public funds invested in infrastructure.”
“Great arrogance,” according to the opposition
The opposition parties see it differently. The Liberal MP for Nelligan, Monsef Derraji, mocked this umpteenth agency created by the CAQ, whose much-vaunted promises will, according to him, be slow to materialize.
“It seems to be a trend,” he said ironically at the opening of the proceedings. “I just hope that one day, we will not change the name of the Coalition Avenir Québec to the Agence Avenir Québec.”
His fellow Solidarity member from Taschereau, Étienne Grandmont, instead denounces a “major centralization operation” marked by “great arrogance” toward cities and their transportation companies. “We can’t talk about Bill 61 without putting the last year into context,” he insisted. “In the last year, the minister has been very tough on municipalities: she called them incompetent, she imposed performance audits on transportation companies, they were called beggars. It was very hard.”
The PQ representative from the Magdalen Islands, for his part, recalled that his former colleague Sylvain Gaudreault had proposed, under the Marois government, the creation of an agency to “depoliticize” transportation in Quebec.
“It[était] quite the opposite, he stressed, of what we see in this bill.” According to him, Mobilité Infra Québec, dependent on the decrees and mandates that the government will give it, will not enjoy the autonomy desired by the former PQ Minister of Transport.
Encroachment of the municipal world
The Union des municipalités du Québec (UMQ) is concerned about the unilateral powers that the bill plans to grant to Mobilité Infra Québec. Its president, Martin Damphousse, denounces the fact that the agency could impose, in the absence of an agreement, the contribution that a municipality must pay to finance a transportation project on its territory.
Bill 61 also provides that the agency can begin work even without the approval of the cities concerned and without having to “pay it a sum of money or other consideration.”
So many “swords of Damocles” hanging over municipalities, according to Solidarity MP Étienne Grandmont, and which are “not acceptable” in the eyes of the UMQ.
“The example that often comes to mind is the extension of the metro in Laval,” illustrated the president of the Union. The City of Laval did not contribute” to this project costing $745 million. “Lucky! If it had had to contribute, even just 10%, imagine the impact on the tax bill.”
“For me, it is unthinkable that the government would impose a transport project that local communities do not want,” defends the Minister of Transport. For me, it is pure common sense […]. It is very important to operate by agreement.
The Association of Road and Major Works Builders of Quebec (ACRGTQ) welcomes the creation of Mobilité Infra Québec, which is capable of concentrating expertise and providing greater predictability in transportation. “Certain elements, however, raise questions,” it adds.
The bill does not outline any definition of the “complexity” of the projects that will be the responsibility of Mobilité Infra Québec. This notion would deserve to be specified, according to the association, since the current vagueness “could encompass, according to its general director Gisèle Bourque, all of the work carried out by our members.”
The Quebec Federation of Municipalities (FQM) expresses the same wish to “ensure that the expertise of Mobilité Infra Québec can be used for regional projects”, and not only those in large centres.
In committee, the minister did not express her desire to better define the projects that will fall under the new agency’s umbrella.
A financing model to be reviewed
The UMQ also deplores the fact that the government is prepared to invest substantial sums in the development of new public transport infrastructure, without assuming their operating costs.
“We all want more public transportation, at a lower cost, in shorter time frames,” said Martin Damphousse. “But we have a structural deficit that is growing year after year,” added UMQ strategic policy advisor Samuel Roy, [et] The bill does nothing to alleviate the funding shortfall in current operations.”
The UMQ invited the government to explore international best practices in terms of financing public transport and to demonstrate “creativity” in giving cities and transport companies the means to achieve their ambitions.
“The gas tax hasn’t changed for ages in Quebec to help fund public transit. You’re increasing the amounts for general infrastructure, but the amounts allocated to public transit in general represent a decrease. We need to be more creative,” concludes Martin Damphousse, “to fund public transit more sustainably. The model needs to change.”