(Quebec) Faced with the absence of CDPQ Infra from the study of appropriations for the metropolis component on Tuesday in parliament, the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) and the Parti Quebecois (PQ) immediately slammed the door, leaving the commission with crash.
Posted at 11:32
Updated at 12:36 p.m.
The study of budgetary appropriations, an important annual accountability exercise in Quebec, is the time for the opposition to question the government on the evolution of public policies. Each minister is then accompanied by his team of deputy ministers, but also by representatives of organizations under his responsibility.
The Minister for Transport and responsible for the Metropolis, Chantal Rouleau, said on Tuesday that the government had told the opposition parties that representatives of CDPQ Infra, the arm of the Caisse de depot et placement du Québec responsible for the development and operation of the REM, were going to be present at the commission. Their representatives being absent, the critic of the official opposition in matters of transport, the liberal deputy André Fortin, as well as his counterpart of the Parti québécois, Pascal Bérubé, left the commission.
“Chantal Rouleau has one mandate, which is public transit in the greater Montreal area. The CDPQ Infra, in terms of transportation, has a single mandate, and that is public transit in the greater Montreal area. It goes without saying that CDPQ Infra is present in the credits of Minister Rouleau,” said Mr. Fortin, according to whom the government had reached an agreement with the opposition on this subject.
“The government has made a choice not to allow the most seasoned transportation spokespersons to question the CDPQ Infra and Chantal Rouleau together,” he added.
“It is a contempt of the commission. If we can’t question those who made the decisions, why would we be here? I don’t do extra work in parliament. I have questions to ask. It’s a lack of respect,” Mr. Bérubé also said.
The representatives of CDPQ Infra are however present Tuesday in parliament at the study of the credits of the Minister of Finance, Eric Girard, relating to the specific component of the Caisse de dépôt. They will also be present in the afternoon at the credits of the Ministry of Transport with Minister François Bonnardel.
The study of credits for the metropolis section adjourned
Minister Rouleau then chose to briefly continue the consideration of supply by answering questions from the Members representing the Government, according to the time allotted to them to do so. Alexandre Leduc of Québec solidaire also asked the minister questions. “A united deputy who lacks solidarity”, criticized Pascal Bérubé of the PQ.
“While the CAQ has just admitted its failure in the development of public transit in Montreal, I had a duty as an elected official to question Minister Rouleau on the future of the REM. Lucky that I questioned him because I managed to find out that the minister wants to keep an aerial structure in the riding of Bourget, while that divides people, ”pleaded Mr. Leduc.
On Monday, Prime Minister François Legault announced with Minister Chantal Rouleau and Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante that CDPQ Infra was withdrawing from the development of the Eastern REM project, which is now under the responsibility of the government. The oppositions indicated to the commission in charge of the study of the appropriations of the metropolitan section that they had prepared questions on this subject for their representatives, since their presence had been confirmed. Without representatives of the PLQ and the PQ, the commission adjourned its work.