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Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard is promising to table what he is describing as a “sober and targeted” budget.
Girard will unveil his 2026-27 spending plans on March 18 – about one month before the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) elects a new party leader and seven months before Quebecers head to the polls in a provincial election.
“There will be no election promises or anything like that,” he told Radio-Canada. “We are truly committed to the responsible management of the state.”
Instead, Girard said he is focusing on getting back to basics and ensuring adequate funding for health and education, and increased investment in infrastructure spending.
He also remains steadfast in his pursuit of returning to a balanced budget.
Girard reiterated that the deficit for 2025-26, as defined by the Balanced Budget Act, is $12.4 billion, which is smaller than the $13.6 billion that was projected last year.
Girard said that even though the budget will be coming down before the CAQ chooses its next leader, he has been in close contact with both leadership hopefuls throughout the process.
He said that tabling the budget before March 31 “ensures the continuity of public services and provides the necessary predictability to citizens, businesses and government partners in a context of great uncertainty.”
This will be Girard’s eighth budget under the CAQ government.