Trailing within the race to succeed François Legault, Bernard Drainville is placing ahead quite a few proposals. He guarantees to return to Quebecers the additional cash collected by the federal government on account of hovering fuel costs and desires to inject personal funding into public transit providers.
In a message posted Tuesday morning on social media, Bernard Drainville identified that the struggle in Iran has pushed up the worth of gasoline.
“Each time the worth on the pump will increase, it’s Quebecers who need to take extra money out of their pockets. However what is usually forgotten is that when the worth of gasoline will increase, the federal government additionally collects extra,” he wrote on X.
If elected chief, Bernard Drainville plans to calculate how a lot extra cash the federal government has collected because of the rise in gasoline costs and return that sum “on to the pockets of Quebecers.”
“This might take the type of a test, a tax credit score, or an equal measure that places a refund into individuals’s pockets,” he defined.
The struggle in Iran, which started on Feb. 28 with strikes led by Israel and america, has brought on the worth of crude oil to surge, which has been mirrored within the value on the pump.
In Montreal on Monday, many fuel stations have been displaying common gasoline at 176.9 cents per litre, a rise of about 20 cents per litre in lower than every week.
“Finest service at the most effective value”
Bernard Drainville additionally desires the personal sector to return to assistance from the general public sector, notably in public transportation providers.
“The objective is to ship the most effective service at the most effective value, by setting up tendering mechanisms the place private and non-private organizations compete to supply a service,” he mentioned in an announcement Tuesday.
Bernard Drainville proposes to “steadily introduce extra competitors in public transportation, notably for sure bus routes and sure upkeep actions” and to implement “requires tenders for the operation of sure crossings or sure providers throughout the Société des traversiers du Québec”.
Extra broadly, Bernard Drainville believes that Quebec’s welfare state has “allowed for the constructing of stable establishments,” however that it’s now displaying “sure limitations.” The personal sector should subsequently step in to create incentives for efficiency.
The CSN wasted no time in denouncing the proposal of the aspiring CAQ chief.
“Obsessed along with his hatred of unions, Bernard Drainville is able to see the standard of providers lower in public transit. That is what a latest research demonstrates after we depend on personal firms in public transit,” said its president, Caroline Senneville.
On Monday, Bernard Drainville additionally proposed strengthening the position of the Nationwide Capital Area.
In accordance with the newest Léger ballot printed final week, 70 per cent of CAQ supporters desire Christine Fréchette to succeed François Legault, in comparison with 20 per cent for Bernard Drainville.
The following chief of the CAQ will probably be identified on April 12.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews