Despite recent revelations about spending cuts in education, francization and the Ministry of Transport, the Legault government denies having initiated a new period of austerity.
“Right now, there are no cuts, these are record investments in education,” said Prime Minister François Legault during question period on Tuesday.
The latter was responding to a series of questions from Québec solidaire (QS) on the theme of austerity. “Where will the next cut be?” QS co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois asked him. Earlier in the morning, the party had launched an appeal to the public to collect testimonies on the impact of cuts in the public network.
Early September, The Duty had revealed that CEGEPs had received a directive from the government ordering them to reduce their spending on building renovations and the purchase of equipment.
The Ministry of Education has also limited the budgets of French-language school centres and ended certain financial incentives for part-time courses.
Radio-Canada also revealed that the Ministry of Transport was subject to a hiring and overtime freeze.
To be continued in the budget project
This news comes at a time when the government is dealing with an $11 billion deficit.
In response to questions from the opposition, the Prime Minister stressed that the increases in education spending planned in the last 2024-2025 budget were maintained and he invited his counterpart to focus on what the next budget in March 2025 will agree to.
The government must, however, carry out an economic update before the end of the year.
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