The Conseil provincial du secteur transport terrestre, CPSTT-CUPE, which represents close to 9000 workers in the public transit sector in Quebec, shares the views of civil society organizations that are bitterly disappointed with the Girard budget tabled this Tuesday. According to the CPSTT, the document seriously lacks ambition and vision, and reflects the Legault government’s preference for cars.
“This budget completely misses the mark, whether in terms of maintaining or developing infrastructure, or improving services that various public providers have to offer to the population in general,” said Simon Mathura, president of the CPSTT.
“Of course, they’re participating in the tramway project in Quebec City, but in that case, the CAQ government was practically dragged into the project against its will and for apparent electoral reasons. As for the rest, they’ve been quietly easing their way out and showing their implicit preference for using cars for everything. This comes as very bad news for Quebeckers who can’t do without public transit and are already the most affected by the cost of living crisis. And obviously, this demonstrates a flagrant lack of ambition about Quebec’s climate objectives, which means the can is being kicked down the road for future generations to deal with,” said Mathura.