Conservative Leader Éric Duhaime promised on Sunday a discount of up to $100 per year for signing up for a sports activity.
Called Passe Sport, this discount will be offered to every Quebecer with a household income of less than $100,000. Nearly 1.3 million people could benefit from it, according to the party’s estimates.
“Physical activity isn’t just a hobby, much less something that’s optional or non-essential,” Duhaime said during a press briefing held in front of a recreation center in Pont-Rouge.
This discount can be used to pay for sports registration—such as joining a hockey team—a gym membership, or a municipal activity, such as access to a swimming pool.
However, the Passe Sport will not take the form of cash given directly to families, but will instead be a portal accessible through the government’s authentication service.
Businesses in the physical activity sector will be able to log in to the portal and enter customer information. At that point, the information will be cross-checked with Retraite Québec’s Family Allowance or Revenu Québec’s tax records to verify eligibility.
The discount will then be applied directly by the provider, who will receive a transfer from the government to reimburse the difference between the discounted price and the original cost of the activity.
The party clarified that the physical activity component of the tax credit for children’s activities will be eliminated with the introduction of the Passe Sport.
The Quebec Conservative Party (PCQ) also plans to focus on sports in schools by increasing the number of physical education periods in elementary and high school and reinstating a fourth physical education course in CEGEP.
Inspired by the sports education model in Slovenia, the Conservatives also want to introduce annual, standardized physical fitness tests in schools to measure students’ progress. They specifically cite examples such as the “beep” test, push-ups, and pull-ups.
“Not so that children compare themselves to one another, but so they can see for themselves how much they’ve improved since they started,” said Marcel Bouchard, the Conservative candidate in Portneuf, who also serves as the party’s spokesperson on sports.
The PCQ also pledges to include swimming in the physical education curriculum, believing it is the best way to reduce drownings.
During the press briefing, Bouchard emphasized that his party wants to grant “immunity for children’s normal play” in the Civil Code.
For the rest of the day, Duhaime was set to put his words into action following the announcement, as he was participating in the Course du Vieux-Moulin race held in Grondines.
A ‘CAQ marketing ploy’
On this eleventh day of the campaign, Premier Christine Fréchette’s decision to convene a special cabinet meeting on Monday—the day before the counter-tariffs were set to take effect—prompted strong reactions from her opponents.
When asked about this, Duhaime condemned the move, accusing Fréchette of being a “opportunist.”
“It’s disappointing, but it’s not surprising,” he said. “We all understand that this is a CAQ marketing ploy, as they’re trying to exploit the rate crisis to hide their track record.”
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
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