The caquist leader, François Legault, defended himself on Friday for having closed the door to the “green pact” demanded by the municipal world to adapt to the vagaries of climate change. However, he remained vague on his commitments regarding the demands of major cities for funding of 2 billion per year.
“I am less categorical than what was written by journalists,” assured François Legault, referring to his visit to Montreal City Hall last Tuesday, during which he had mentioned the limits on the ability to pay taxpayers. During a speech at the electoral summit of the Union of Quebec Municipalities (UMQ) on Friday, he maintained that the door remained open.
The cities were delighted to see Mr. Legault retrace his steps, but expect hard cash as soon as possible. “We feel this openness more and more,” noted the president of the UMQ, Daniel Côté, during a press scrum at the exit of the electoral summit of the organization.
In the morning, the mayor of Quebec, Bruno Marchand, had fallen head over heels for the outgoing prime minister, who had rejected the “green pact” too quickly in his eyes. “A deluge arrived in the Montreal region as far as Joliette which created consequences for citizens because the storm networks are not able to support the load of the torrential rains, he lamented. . I think he was too quick on the trigger. »
“Mother Nature immediately answered him,” noted the mayor of Longueuil, Catherine Fournier, according to whom Mr. Legault had “advanced too quickly”.
How many greenbacks would be used to finance the UMQ pact? This is the question that remains unanswered at the present time. Daniel Côté remains inflexible: the 2 billion demanded by the cities and municipalities “hold the road”. “We can discuss the terms, but the numbers…” he said.
A few days after the extreme weather event that hit the Quebec metropolis, the mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, insists on the “urgency” of the situation. “We want to have those amounts now,” she said.
Leaders’ promises
On the occasion of the UMQ electoral summit, the five party leaders spoke in front of an audience of mayors gathered in a hotel in downtown Montreal.
Mr. Legault reiterated his commitments regarding his Plan for a Green Economy, with its $7.6 billion envelope aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. He also mentioned the OASIS program, with a budget of 325 million, to counter heat islands. “If there is not enough money, we will add more to the OASIS project, but it will be on merit,” he said.
We can no longer shovel responsibilities into the backyards of municipalities without giving them the means
Without saying how much she wanted to put into a potential “green pact”, the liberal leader, Dominique Anglade, said she was open to “sitting down” with the cities. ” [On] is more than talkable, she launched. We can no longer shovel responsibilities into the backyards of municipalities without giving them the means. In an interview hosted by journalist Emmanuelle Latraverse a few minutes later, Ms.me Anglade is committed to discussing the green pact when revising city taxation.
The leader of the Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, denounced the “lack of respect” of Mr. Legault in this saga. “Mayors and Mayoresses […] saw the door close directly in their face. It’s really a misunderstanding of the role of municipalities,” said the PQ leader. He promises to discuss with the cities the ins and outs of such an agreement. “The door is wide open. There is room for those $2 billion,” said Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon, who is also committing to making $30 billion available to the Quebec Infrastructure Plan so that the 30 largest cities in Quebec can work on public transit projects.
For his part, the co-spokesperson of Québec solidaire, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, believes that the government must adopt a different tone with regard to municipalities. “We have to change the nature of the relationship between the Quebec state and the municipalities. This old mentality where the Government of Quebec considers municipalities a bit like its children. You have to break that, ”he explained. He proposes to review the municipal tax model “to put an end once and for all to the structural and harmful dependence of municipalities on property tax”. While waiting to conclude a new tax pact, he has promised to increase transfers to municipalities by $300 million a year.
From the outset, the leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ), Éric Duhaime, recognized that his proposals concerning cities were perhaps less detailed than those of his opponents. He advocated for simplification of government regulations. He also mentioned his plan to offer free public transport in Quebec City as a pilot project, a measure that could be extended to other municipalities.