Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, shown on May 6, said the federal government has taken a similar approach in Alberta.Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press
The Parti Québécois says the federal government is being “very generous” with Quebec to undermine support for sovereignty ahead of a provincial election that could pave the way for a third referendum.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney and Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette were in Longueuil, Que., to announce infrastructure funding deals worth nearly $10-billion.
The money is intended to modernize public transit, upgrade hospitals, and improve university campuses and community centres in Quebec over the next decade. Mr. Carney described the agreement as “a partnership that will transform communities across the province.”
But PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon cast the funding deals as an effort to weaken support for the sovereigntist movement at a critical moment.
“The federal machine seems very interested in playing a role – or, at least, is taking an interest in the upcoming Quebec election,” he told reporters in Quebec City ahead of Mr. Carney’s announcement.
According to Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon, the announcement fits into a long-standing pattern of favourable treatment from the federal government in response to a sovereigntist threat. “The abuse decreases, the generosity increases,” he said.
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The PQ leader said Ottawa has taken the same approach in Alberta, where voters will decide in October whether the province should remain in Canada or begin the legal process toward a binding independence referendum.
Last month, Mr. Carney signed a long-awaited deal with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith that set out conditions for construction of a new oil pipeline to the West Coast.
The PQ, leading or tied in most polls, has promised to hold a referendum on independence within a first mandate if it forms government in the next election, set for Oct. 5.
But on Tuesday, Mr. Carney denied the timing of the announcement was strategic. “This is false,” he told reporters. “It’s not a political calculation at all.”
Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon said charitable treatment from Ottawa could “ultimately undermine the momentum” of the sovereigntist movement, as it sends the message that “federalism works.”
But he added that once the threat of a referendum subsides, so does the federal government’s generosity. “When there’s no bargaining leverage, Canada disregards Quebec’s interests,” he said.
This week’s announcement comes after years of negotiations between Quebec and Ottawa on funding from the Canada Public Transit Fund, launched in 2024. Quebec is the last province to sign a deal under the federal program, and it will receive roughly $6-billion from the fund over the next 10 years.
Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon accused Ms. Fréchette of using the agreement to score political points just ahead of the election, saying the governing Coalition Avenir Québec is treating Quebeckers like “electoral merchandise.”
But Ms. Fréchette said the deal was about proving her government can deliver. “I really wanted to show Quebeckers that we can move forward and that we’re in step with their priorities,” she said.
“We picked up the pace, and that’s what led to today’s results.”