One hundred days after Premier François Legault pledged his word to complete the first phase of the Quebec City tramway, his supporters are growing impatient and anxious. Time is running out, according to them, since the shadow of an early election in Ottawa threatens to bring to power a conservative party hostile to the project.
It’s been more than three months since the government gave the green light to the tramway and many in Quebec are surprised to see it still at a standstill. The capital’s solidarity delegation wanted to remind the Prime Minister of his commitment on Friday.
“I really hope that François Legault has a word and that what he said was true,” said Sol Zanetti, elected representative for Jean-Lesage, during a press briefing held in the presence of citizen groups in favour of the tramway. “Now he has to prove it. The nonsense is over.”
The government is dragging its feet at a time when the recent upheavals in federal politics have created a new urgency in its eyes. “There will be a Canadian election in the next year, that’s for sure – and François Legault seems eager,” said Mr. Zanetti. Polls have the Conservative troops on the verge of power – and their leader, Pierre Poilièvre, has promised not to invest “one cent” in the tramway.
This is an “extremely important issue”, according to the solidarity activist who is calling for “securing the financing of the tramway as quickly as possible”.
Ottawa will not only have to show up: it will also have to pay more money, insisted his colleague from Taschereau, Étienne Grandmont. Inflation has done its work, the pandemic has also increased construction costs significantly. The federal government will have to ensure a greater presence from now on — and it is not up to Pierre Poilievre to come and decide how we spend money, our money, our taxes, our taxes.”
The Solidaires’ exit comes at a time when clouds are gathering again over the Quebec tramway. Public finances are showing a record deficit estimated, in the last budget, at $11 billion. The CAQ ranks, long the only ones leading the polls in the capital region, are being buffeted everywhere by the rise of the Parti Québécois.
Their support for a tramway that has failed to rally the majority of the electorate seems to be shaky again, since the commitment made 100 days ago, there has been radio silence from the government regarding the project that would be the most important in the history of Quebec.
Supporters and supportive citizen groups are growing impatient, but remain hopeful that the tramway will see the light of day despite six years of procrastination.
“It’s never too late to do the right thing,” insisted Étienne Grandmont. “With the federal election and people’s impatience, we can’t wait for the Prime Minister to keep his word.”