With just a few weeks to go before the start of the next election campaign, Premier Christine Fréchette announced that her government has received 21 proposals from companies in response to the international call for expressions of interest for the Third Link highway project between Quebec City and Lévis. However, there is still a long way to go.
“This shows that companies want to learn more about this proposal to build this third link in partnership with the public,” she explained during a press briefing on Tuesday in the Chaudière-Appalaches region.
The premier acknowledged that there would be “a whole series of additional steps.”
“For our part, we will evaluate the companies to ensure they are fully capable of carrying out this major project (…) We will provide them with more information on what is expected,” said Fréchette.
The government launched a 45-day call for expressions of interest on June 25.
Procrastination
It’s worth recalling that the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government dithered extensively over the proposed third link between Quebec City and Lévis.
In 2019, it proposed an eastern tunnel that would run under Île d’Orléans.
Then, the government changed its mind and suggested a route slightly further west that would connect the two city centres.
In April 2023, Minister Geneviève Guilbault announced that her government was abandoning the plan for a highway link between Quebec City and Lévis. Instead, she proposed a tunnel dedicated to public transit.
Then, in October 2023, less than 24 hours after his crushing defeat in Jean-Talon against the Parti Québécois (PQ), former-Premier François Legault took everyone by surprise by announcing that he wanted to consult the people of Quebec City about the third link and that all options were on the table. The project was finally revived in June 2024.
During the CAQ leadership race, Fréchette announced that she wanted to scrap the latest route proposed by her government and suggested returning to an eastern route with a toll. She wanted it to be carried out as a public-private partnership with federal involvement.
Cutting through with a ‘chainsaw’
Fréchette was visiting the Chaudière-Appalaches region to introduce candidates.
The CAQ is counting on two former political staffers to hold onto this region, which is potentially fertile ground for Éric Duhaime’s conservative forces.
Roch Gamache is running in the Lotbinière-Frontenac riding. He has served as chief of staff in several Quebec government ministries. Since 2026, he has worked as director of government efficiency and digital integration in the premier’s office.
For his part, Philippe Simard will attempt to retain the Beauce-Nord riding. He has worked for the current member for the riding, Luc Provençal. He is currently a political advisor in the office of Health Minister Sonia Bélanger.
Lotbinière-Frontenac and Beauce-Nord are two ridings currently held by the CAQ. However, according to the poll aggregator Qc125, Duhaime’s Quebec Conservative Party (PCQ) could very well make inroads there.
In 2022, CAQ candidate Luc Provençal won by a margin of just 202 votes over Conservative candidate Olivier Dumais in Beauce-Nord. The PCQ also came in second in Lotbinière-Frontenac, but nearly 5,000 votes separated the Conservative candidate from the CAQ candidate.
The race in these two districts is therefore shaping up to be fierce. Fréchette did not hesitate to take a swipe at the Conservative leader.
“I hear that Éric Duhaime wants to slash services practically with a chainsaw. On our side, we want to allocate funds to improve infrastructure, whether in health care, education, or roads,” she said.
The elections will take place on October 5.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
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