#CAQ

Quebec to revisit gasoline prices in Gaspé

Local Journalism Initiative / The Gaspé Spec / August 22, 2025 / #CAQ, #Competition, #Daniel Cote, #gas prices, #gaspesie, #nelson sergerie, #stephane Sainte-Croix

Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

GASPÉ—While the price of a litre of regular gasoline has gradually declined over the summer throughout the Gaspé Peninsula and elsewhere in Quebec, the Gaspé region has bucked the trend, with gasoline selling for $1.57 per litre for several weeks.

Meanwhile, gasoline sold for $1.49 in the Chandler region, just over 100 kilometres from Gaspé, on August 13. A litre was selling for around $1.50 in Baie-des-Chaleurs, $1.54 in Haute-Gaspésie and $1.51 in Matane and Rimouski.

This observation prompted the Member of the National Assembly (MNA) for Gaspé, Stéphane Sainte-Croix to question the profit margins charged by gas retailers in the region. According to data from the Régie de l’énergie, the profit margin was 19.3 cents on August 13 in Gaspé, compared to 13 cents in Baie-des-Chaleurs and 11.5 cents in Rocher-Percé.

The Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government is looking into this issue. Stéphane Sainte-Croix is already discussing it with the Minister of Energy.

“We have already begun discussions on this issue in light of what we are seeing this summer. As it is well documented in the region, I am using this to make my case. Yes, we will take up the fight again in the future,” says the MNA.

When asked about the nearly 10-cent difference between Gaspé and Chandler, Mr. Sainte-Croix points out that the price floor was abolished to stimulate competition.

“Clearly, there is still a long way to go here,” says Mr. Sainte-Croix.

“In terms of profit margins, there may be an explanation behind this phenomenon that largely accounts for the difference between Gaspé and other areas of the Gaspé Peninsula,” he comments in a brief analysis.

Back in July, the mayor of Gaspé was unable to explain the price difference between Gaspé and Chandler.

“It’s a sign that there is a lack of competition,” said Daniel Côté, calling once again on the Competition Bureau to do its job.

Last September, the Competition Bureau concluded that there was no collusion in the Gaspé Peninsula to fix gasoline prices.

The bureau stated at the time that “combating anti-competitive behaviour in the gasoline sector is a priority for the Bureau. It is for this reason that our investigators visited several regions of Quebec to better understand how gasoline prices are determined. These visits took place in eastern Quebec, including the Gaspé Peninsula, on July 18, 2024.”

“To date, the information obtained has not allowed us to demonstrate the presence of anti-competitive activities in the retail gasoline sector,” the office noted, recalling that its role is to investigate price fixing and other anti-competitive behaviour.

As an enforcement agency, the office does not have the authority to regulate gasoline prices. That task falls to the Quebec government, the federal agency added.

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Inauguration of Demeure-Toi in Gaspé

Local Journalism Initiative / The Gaspé Spec / August 22, 2025 / #autism, #CAQ, #demeure toi, #housing, #independence, #nelson sergerie, #stephane Sainte-Croix

Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

GASPÉ – The Demeure-Toi project, a 12-unit building designed to accommodate 11 adults living with autism spectrum disorder, was inaugurated on August 12 in Gaspé.

The Minister responsible for Social Services, Lionel Carmant, attended the inauguration and said he was proud to see this unique project in the East come to fruition.

“We have projects like Véro and Louis (show host Véronique Cloutier and actor Louis Morissette), but they are more institutional activities. Here, we really have adults who do activities every day independently. The support we offer them can propel them toward something else,” believes the minister.

The organization’s president, Claudine Dupuis, mother of an autistic child, described the project as a dream come true.

“To help them develop their skills and independence. We want to take them further and have them live independently in an apartment in the town centre with minimal supervision. It’s every parent’s dream,” she says.

The first residents are expected to move in this October.

The organization has received $9 million in funding from the federal and Quebec governments, with additional support from the town of Gaspé. An annual contribution of $275,000 from the Quebec government is also planned.

A defeat that gives pause for thought

Meanwhile the CAQ’s stinging defeat on August 11 in Arthabaska is a clear message to the government, according to Gaspé Member of the National Assembly (MNA) Stéphane Sainte-Croix.
He points out that his party has implemented significant changes and that the government must remain committed to its plan.

The elected official believes he is delivering the goods in Gaspé and is proud of it, but he remains aware that at the national level, there are issues that irritate citizens.

The elected official says he is delivering results in Gaspé and takes pride in that, while recognizing that some national-level issues have irritated citizens.

During his summer tour of the riding, Sainte-Croix listened to his constituents and emphasized that the party must return to the centre-right.

“Budgetary discipline is a recurring theme. We must accept the critical choices we have to make in Quebec. We have made progress in terms of identity. I don’t think we have anything to be ashamed of. Economically, some issues have progressed more favourably than others. We have moved far to the left lately. I think we need to return to who we are, to our roots, and embrace that,” says the MNA.
Stéphane Sainte-Croix will be a candidate in the October 2026 election.

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