Legault defends broken promise on 3rd link project for Quebec City area

Faced with frustration from members of his caucus and voters, Quebec Premier François Legault is defending his government's decision to scrap plans to build a third link for automobiles between Quebec City and Lévis on the south shore.

Last week, Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault announced that the third link would be reserved for public transportation only and not be open to drivers — a major about-face on one of the key promises from Coalition Avenir Québec in back-to-back election campaigns.

In the 2022 election, the party secured 16 of the 18 seats in the Quebec City region.

Guilbault insisted the government now has data that made it clear that a tunnel for cars and trucks was no longer the way to go.

On Tuesday, Legault attempted to take all the blame for the broken promise.

"I'm the one who made the decision. I own it," Legault said while meeting with reporters at the National Assembly on Tuesday.

"I won't apologize for making the best decision for Quebecers, even if it is a difficult decision."

The revised third link project is still short on details at this point, but it is expected to be cheaper than the $6.5-billion price tag that was attached to the CAQ's original plan. 

The new timeline is also unclear. Legault expressed a desire for the new project to progress as quickly as possible.

Earlier in the day, Legault held a special meeting to hear from local caucus members expressing the fury of their constituents over the government's announcement.

Heading into the meeting, backbencher Jean-François Simard said that he wanted to convey to the premier "the anger that is brewing inside me.'' Another MNA, Stéphanie Lachance, said that in her riding "some are angry, some are disappointed, and some are downright furious.''

Opposition parties have seized on the issue, accusing the Coalition Avenir Québec government of deceiving voters in the October election to win support in the capital region.

Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon said Legault treated voters as "political merchandise,'' adding that he would table a bill to allow for the recall of politicians who break election promises.

Éric Duhaime, the leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec, launched a petition at the National Assembly calling for the resignation of Éric Caire, the province's minister of cybersecurity and digital technology.