Frechette accuses PQ of turning its back on Quebec City region over high-speed rail
Posted June 12, 2026 7:30 am.
Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette is accusing the Parti Québécois of “turning its back” on the Capitale-Nationale region by opposing the federal government’s high-speed rail project.
Fréchette made the remarks Thursday evening while addressing members of Quebec City’s business community at an event organized by the local chamber of commerce.
She highlighted that, unlike the Parti Québécois, the Coalition Avenir Québec supports the project.
“We will also move forward with high-speed rail,” she said to applause.
“It’s a large-scale project that is highly transformative and will generate major benefits for the Capitale-Nationale region and for Quebec, while also being funded by the federal government.
“It will create economic benefits and improve transportation efficiency, mobility and the environment. What more could you ask for?
“It must, of course, be carried out in a way that ensures the required social acceptability, but it is a major project for the Capitale-Nationale region and it is important that we move forward.
“You can count on us to move ahead,” she added, drawing repeated applause from business leaders in attendance.
“For me, the PQ’s position on this issue amounts to turning its back on the Capitale-Nationale region and abandoning it,” Fréchette concluded.
The high-speed rail project, led by Crown corporation Alto, would connect Toronto and Quebec City, with several stops in Ontario and Quebec communities.
Construction of the first segment, between Montreal and Ottawa, is expected to begin in 2029 or 2030. Alto currently estimates the project will cost between $60 billion and $90 billion.
PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has argued that priority should instead be given to repairing aging infrastructure rather than building a high-speed rail network.
Earlier this week, he announced that a PQ government would withdraw Quebec from the project, drawing criticism from several quarters.
With the provincial election campaign expected to begin in about two months, Fréchette also reiterated Thursday her commitment to improving access routes to Quebec City’s bridges and building a third link between Quebec City and Lévis.
She acknowledged that the CAQ government had mishandled both files.
“The back-and-forth is over. From now on, we’re only moving forward,” she said.
“The Legault-Fréchette government has a dismal record in the Capitale-Nationale region. Christine Fréchette herself admitted it when she spoke about the government’s back-and-forth approach,” said PQ MNA for Jean-Talon Pascal Paradis.
“She is therefore in no position to lecture anyone on how best to support Quebec City’s aspirations,” he added.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
