Gatineau and Outaouais left hungry by 2024-2025 Quebec budget

Taylor Clark

The projected $11 million deficit budget tabled by Minister of Finance Eric Girard on March 12 has left the Ville de Gatineau and the Outaouais region feeling neglected.

“I think it was recognized that the Outaouais had some catching up to do since 2019. But we are at dinner time and honestly, we were left hungry,” said the president of the Comité exécutif Mario Aubé in a press briefing shortly after the release of the provincial budget.

Girard described the 2024-2025 Quebec budget as a demanding balancing act between the province’s major socioeconomic objectives and maintaining a responsible financial framework while set against a backdrop of a tight economic climate.

“This deficit stems from a difficult economic and climate context but it is also necessary to improve right away services to the population. It is necessary and it is manageable,” Girard said in his budget speech.

At the forefront of the budget was health and education with nearly $5 billion in investments over six years which did not align with the demands set out by former Gatineau mayor France Bélisle.

At the top of the demands were housing and homelessness followed by public transportation, land use planning, economic development, and cultural infrastructure. While housing measures remained modest as described by the City’s interim mayor Daniel Champagne, Gatineau’s other priorities were overlooked.

“I mean, there are a lot of needs. I think that one of the great needs that you saw in homelessness, in particular, is that we are stuck with this situation as a municipality. Which is often said to be the responsibility of Quebec but at the same time, we cannot let things go,” said Aubé.

The Comité exécutif president said the burden to grapple with homelessness fell to the City which was left to “roll up our sleeves as a municipality before the arrival of winter” and authorize the inclusion of 48 heated tents in the parking lot of Robert-Guertin Centre until mid-May.

“We do more with the means we have. What I would say is that it’s a pretty beige budget.” 

Not only was the City let down by the budget but organizations, which Aubé said experienced cuts, were also left displeased.

In a press release, the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec and the Chambre de Commerce de Gatineau described the budget as “a disappointment for the economic community,” citing the lack of structuring measures to concretely assist the economy and even setbacks in certain cases.

“With low growth forecasts of 0.6% for the next year and 1.6% the following year, the government would have benefitted from providing more help to Quebec businesses to stimulate economic growth,” wrote Charles Milliard, president and chief executive officer of the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec.

General director of the Chambre de Commerce de Gatineau Etienne Fredette said this was especially true for small and medium-sized enterprises that have struggled with economic uncertainty and inflation.

“After all, Quebec businesses play a major role in generating sustainable growth and developing public and private projects, which will allow us to finance our social progress. Unfortunately, today is a missed opportunity,” added Fredette.

The culture sector has also experienced major disruptions and needed significant investments to “consolidate a still fragile sector.” But the Réseau des conseils régionaux de la culture du Québec noted the budget fell short on maintaining the investments laid out in the previous budget.

Appropriation transfers from the Ministry of Culture and Communications saw a $22.7 million decrease and the budget of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec shrank by $21.7 million despite the $4.8 million announced to support cultural organizations in the new budget.

“As a city, we want to develop. We want to create wealth. We want things to move forward,” said Aubé. “But I think I looked at the budget carefully in the last hour and I didn’t find anything in this area that is very concrete for our city.”

Photo caption: Minister of Finance Eric Girard proudly presents Quebec’s 2024-2025 budget, which left Gatineau and Outaouais unsatisfied.

Photo credit: Eric Girard X