Published June 19, 2024

TRAM TRACKER

Duclos backs tramway plan; Poilievre: ‘Not a cent’

Jean-Yves Duclos, powerful federal minister, and Pierre Poilievre, self-proclaimed next prime minister, had drastically different reactions to the Caisse Infra study recom-mending a tramway system for the Quebec City region.

Duclos, the minister of public services and procurement in the Liberal government of Justin Trudeau, gave his immediate support to the plan and reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to funding a major portion of the cost.

He told reporters in Quebec City, “We’ve been here since 2018 when [former Quebec premier Philippe] Couillard and [former mayor Régis] Labeaume announced the project six years ago.”

The federal government committed some $2 billion at that time and Duclos has stated it would contribute more as costs rise. Conservative Leader Poilievre, who last year called politicians in Quebec “incompetent” for allowing cost overruns on transit projects, said in a post on X, “As prime minister, I will not invest a cent of federal money in a tram project in Quebec.”

He said, “Trudeau and the Bloc are obsessed with the war on cars and ignore people in the suburbs and regions. Common sense Conservatives will continue to respect Quebec motorists by supporting a third link for cars.” Poilievre’s Quebec lieutenant, Charlesbourg– Haute-Saint-Charles MP Pierre Paul-Hus, supports his leader’s stand, saying he and fellow Conservative MPs in the Quebec City region had made their anti-tramway views known to the Caisse experts during consultations. Duclos threw another element into the debate with his suggestion the Quebec Bridge could be adapted to handle heavy trucks, which is not currently possible due to the limited clearance on the bridge. The CAQ government cited “economic security” as the reason to build a new bridge, to avoid being solely reliant on the Laporte bridge for commercial truck traffic. Duclos said that during negotiations leading to the recent federal acquisition of the bridge, he was made aware of studies saying the deck of the span could be lowered by four feet to accommodate large trucks.

Premier François Legault seemed taken aback when asked by a reporter about Duclos’ mention of studies on adapting the bridge. “I don’t know where he got those,” he said.

Duclos, in response, said at an event June 14 in Quebec City, “The studies exist. These are studies which, in most cases, were carried out by the Ministry of Transport of Quebec.”

Quebec City officials confirmed in a Journal de Québec story they are aware of such studies saying lowering the bridge deck is feasible.

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