More action, fewer committees: CAQ promises $10B for transportation
A Coalition Avenir Québec government could ignore any transportation plan currently being drafted by the region’s body governing transportation.
If his party wins the Oct. 1 election, CAQ leader François Legault said he would put in place a $10-billion, 10-year plan for such projects as completing a decades-delayed revamp of Notre-Dame St. in the East End, building a $1.8-billion tramway connecting Pointe-auxTrembles to the downtown core, and extending the future Réseau express métropolitain in the South Shore and the North Shore.
Legault also reiterated an earlier pledge to kill Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante’s proposed Pink Line of the métro network, a plan supported by both the Liberals and the Parti- Québécois.
Legault said his party is best placed to determine what the transportation priorities should be for the region, and a CAQ government could ignore a plan drafted by the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain, which was created in June 2017 to depoliticize the debate on transit projects.
The ARTM was created by the current Liberal government in response to criticism that decisions on transit projects were based more on where politicians can earn the most votes than what is best for the region. Examples include the métro’s Orange Line extension to Laval, and a commuter-train extension to Mascouche before the métro’s Blue Line could be extended to Anjou.
While the ARTM has been charged with preparing its own 10-year plan based on public consultations and studies by experts — due by the end of the year — Legault said he could ignore that report if it contradicts the CAQ’s.
Legault said that while many of the projects he presented are in politically opportune areas where the CAQ hopes to gain political ground, his party’s plan is focusing on the most pressing needs for the region.
Legault said development of the Montreal region has been stalled because of infighting between mayors, and it is the role of the provincial government to act as a referee in deciding which projects should be prioritized.
Legault said the people don’t have the luxury to wait for reports, and must instead to take action on much-delayed projects that can improve the lives of many in the region.
“We’re open to see the proposals of the ARTM, but it’s about time that we take action and stop having committees,” Legault said.
He said a CAQ government would also ensure there are improvements to the West Island, as the party supports the REM project, which would improve train service on the Deux-Montagnes train line, and add a train along Highway 40, ending at Ste-Annede-Bellevue.