(Quebec) Federal Minister and Member of Parliament for Quebec Jean-Yves Duclos maintains that the citizens of his riding welcome with “relief” the abandonment of the project for a third road link between Quebec and Lévis.
The heavyweight of the Trudeau government commented on Friday on this decision of the Quebec government on the sidelines of an announcement on artificial intelligence, in Sainte-Foy.
He said in a scrum that the construction of a third link, with all the pollution and congestion it would cause, was “a lot of fear” among his fellow citizens.
According to him, people feel “relieved” to be rid of this project.
The federal MP for Louis-Hébert, Joël Lightbound – who is still considering the possibility of running for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Quebec – did not mince his words either.
He said he understands third-linkers feel “cheated” today.
“It’s a sad sight, what we saw, and it feeds cynicism towards the political class,” he lamented, shooting an arrow at the CAQ government of François Legault.
Moreover, Ottawa is not closing the door to funding a possible new third link project that would be entirely dedicated to public transit.
“The Canadian government hasn’t funded highways since 2015, and certainly not in a sensitive area like downtown Quebec City,” Duclos said.
“For public and active transportation projects, we know that this is the future of our community here in Quebec, this is where we are heading, so we will be there to support the city and the government of Quebec “, he specified.
