Premier Jean Charest, hoping to get a massive electoral boost from the federal budget, said Quebecers were clear winners as Ottawa moved to address the so-called fiscal imbalance Monday.
"The gains made by Quebecers today are substantial," Charest said.
"This gives us a lot of satisfaction in the sense that we have fought for this for a number of years. Now the federal government has moved substantially and Quebecers should be proud of the leadership we've exercised within the federation to accomplish this."
The premier will be hoping that the additional $2.3 billion Quebec will get this year from Ottawa will pay off at the ballot box next Monday when Quebecers go to the polls.
Charest patted himself on the back for convincing provincial leaders to push Ottawa on the fiscal imbalance — the contention that the provinces are not getting their fair share of the money Ottawa collects.
Charest said his Liberal government has engineered $14-billion worth of spending deals with the federal government and has reached agreements in various areas.
Charest repeated that he didn't expect the fiscal imbalance between the provinces and federal government to be solved in one federal budget.
Parti Québecois Leader André Boisclair, who knows it could be politically dangerous to dismiss the budget out of hand, said federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's document is incomplete.
"The exercise is not complete, not entirely sufficient," Boisclair said. "This does not settle the problem where it hurts most."
Boisclair claimed it was sovereigntist leaders who raised the fiscal-imbalance issue in the first place.
Action Démocratique du Québec leader Mario Dumont praised the budget but made it clear he believes Prime Minister Stephen Harper — and not Charest — should get the credit for addressing the fiscal imbalance.
Much of the money announced by Flaherty in the budget isn't new, such as increases in health transfers and funding for climate change.
Polls suggest top three parties in tight race
Boisclair also accused Charest of conspiring with the Conservatives to have a budget tabled in the middle of the Quebec campaign.
"It's the last chance for Jean Charest to save his skin," Boisclair said.
Recent polls have indicated a tight three-way race among the ADQ, the Liberals and the PQ, and many expect fallout from the budget to be a deciding factor in the election.
Dumont said he wants to translate his strong showing thus far in the campaign into at least 15 seats for his party.
The party had only five seats when the election was called on Feb. 21 and doesn't have official party status in Quebec's 125-member legislature.
Dumont's rise in the polls, however, has made him the target of accusations that he doesn't have a team of candidates capable of governing the province.
Related
Internal Links
Video
- Nancy Wood reports for CBC-TV (Runs: 2:16)
- Play: Real Media »
- Play: QuickTime »
| Party | Elected | Leading | Total | Vote Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LIB | 48 | 0 | 48 | 33.08% |
| ADQ | 41 | 0 | 41 | 30.80% |
| PQ | 36 | 0 | 36 | 28.32% |
| QS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.65% |
| GRN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.89% |
| OTH | 0 | 0 | 0 | .26% |
| Last Update:March 27, 12:52:21 AM EDT | ||||
Quebec Votes 2007 Headlines »
- Que. Liberals take minority win with grain of salt
- Quebec Premier Jean Charest said he'll build bridges with the Parti Québécois and the Action Démocratique du Québec to ensure a stable minority government.
- Dumont will work with Quebec Premier Charest
- Quebec's new Opposition Leader Mario Dumont said he wants stability at the national assembly and pledged to work with the Liberal minority government on a case-by-case basis.
- Boisclair remains at helm after PQ finishes 3rd
- André Boisclair is staying on as leader of the Parti Québécois and vowed to help rebuild the fractured party after it suffered major losses in Monday's provincial election.
- Quebec election result 'good news' for Canada: PM
- Stephen Harper says voters in the Quebec election have used their ballots to reject calls for another referendum in a "great result" for Canada.
- Charest keeps seat as Liberals cling to power in Quebec
- Quebecers are waking up to a minority Liberal government — the first minority in the province in 130 years — and a new official Opposition.