{"id":726018,"date":"2026-06-09T21:30:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T21:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/726018\/"},"modified":"2026-06-09T21:30:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T21:30:11","slug":"parti-quebecois-opposes-current-version-of-the-high-speed-rail-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/726018\/","title":{"rendered":"Parti Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois opposes current version of the high-speed rail project"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Parti Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois (PQ) will withdraw Quebec from the federal government\u2019s high-speed rail (TGV) project if it comes to power in October, believing that priority should be given to maintaining aging infrastructure.<\/p>\n

In a statement, the PQ leader, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, argues that he cannot \u201cjustify to Quebecers that their money be invested in a pharaonic project\u201d when priority infrastructure urgently needs to be renovated.<\/p>\n

Based on estimates from the Bloc Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois, St-Pierre Plamondon values \u200b\u200bthe project at \u201cpotentially $200 billion\u201d and suggests that Quebec\u2019s share would therefore be around $40 billion.<\/p>\n

The PQ leader argues that a potential PQ government would demand that Ottawa pay these sums \u201cunconditionally\u201d so that it could invest them in infrastructure such as roads, hospitals, schools and public transit.<\/p>\n

While Quebec\u2019s asset maintenance deficit amounts to more than $40 billion, St-Pierre Plamondon argues that Quebec could renovate \u201calmost all\u201d of its aging infrastructure by receiving its share of the funds that will be allocated to the TGV project.<\/p>\n

St-Pierre Plamondon points out that some studies already warn that the future high-speed rail line may have little impact on road traffic. He argues that the project \u201cis highly likely to be a huge financial fiasco.\u201d<\/p>\n

The high-speed rail project, led by the Crown corporation Alto, is planned to connect Toronto to Quebec City, with several stops in Ontario and Quebec cities. Construction of the first segment, between Montreal and Ottawa, is scheduled to begin in 2029 or 2030.<\/p>\n

Currently, Alto estimates that the project will cost between $60 and $90 billion, but some experts believe this forecast is unrealistic.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon asserts that the public consultations conducted by Alto to determine the exact route are \u201copaque.\u201d He points out that many farmers are worried about \u201cseeing their fields cut in two.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything is happening as if we want to go as fast as possible before we realize the mistake and the financial fiasco we are heading towards,\u201d the PQ leader denounced in his statement.<\/p>\n

He also accuses Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of being \u201cmore concerned with leaving a legacy project than with the public interest.\u201d<\/p>\n

With this statement \u2013 \u200b\u200bwhich will \u201cnot necessarily be popular\u201d, by his own admission \u2013 St-Pierre Plamondon adds his voice to that of the leader of the Bloc Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois, Yves-Fran\u00e7ois Blanchet, who also opposed the current version of the project.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday farm organizations from Quebec, Ontario and across Canada asked Ottawa to revisit the proposed rail corridor, saying the project could cost far more than projected and cause significant damage to agricultural land.<\/p>\n

\u2013This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews<\/p>\n

\t\tKeep it Factual<\/p>\n

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