Tashi Farmilo
QUEBEC – André Fortin, Liberal MNA for Pontiac, says the Quebec government’s 2026–27 budget offers little for the region beyond targeted forestry measures and access to province-wide programs whose local impact remains uncertain.
Tabled March 18 in Quebec City by Finance Minister Eric Girard, the budget does not deliver the kind of structural changes Fortin says are needed in key sectors.
On healthcare, Fortin noted the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) had previously committed to allocating funding based on regional population needs rather than historical patterns, but said no such shift appears in this budget. “In terms of healthcare, it seems to me this budget is business as usual and not much will change, which is unfortunate for people in our area,” he said.
He was more critical of education funding, arguing that increases fail to keep pace with rising costs. “Services in education won’t be what they were last year. They will be diminished from what was offered last year,” he said, adding that neither healthcare nor education should face reductions. “You cannot do it on the backs of healthcare and education.”
On forestry, a key sector in the Pontiac, Fortin acknowledged some positive steps. The government is eliminating an auction system for access to public timber and adjusting royalty rates paid by companies harvesting wood from public lands — measures aimed at reducing costs and improving competitiveness with Ontario, where fibre is cheaper. However, he said the changes fall short of what the industry needs, particularly with U.S. tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber exceeding 45% and demand declining.
He also pointed to a gap affecting private woodlot owners, who are currently excluded from a program that allows timber to be shipped outside the region when local demand is low. The program primarily serves public lands and is subsidized to support certain businesses. “There are private woodlot owners that would benefit greatly from being able to access this program, and right now they can’t,” he said, adding the budget should have required industry to source a portion of wood from private lots.
Housing measures drew a similarly muted response. The province’s plan to add 1,000 subsidized housing units over three years was, in Fortin’s view, insufficient. “It’s one thousand units for a population of nine million people over three years. It’s such a small number,” he said, arguing the province has limited financial flexibility after moving from a $7-billion surplus to a projected $10-billion deficit over eight years of CAQ governance.
Some province-wide measures will apply locally. School tax increases are capped at 3% for 2026, with the province covering the difference owed to school boards. As well, 5,000 non-subsidized daycare spaces will be converted to subsidized spots, bringing the daily rate to $9.65 for families whose facilities are selected.
The Quebec Infrastructure Plan 2026–2036 includes a completed $24.4-million refurbishment of Route 148 but no other new road or infrastructure projects specific to the Pontiac.
With the CAQ in a leadership race and a provincial election set for October 5, Fortin described the budget as focused on maintaining government operations rather than advancing a broader vision. “Whether it’s here in the Pontiac or anywhere else across the province, it’s hard for anyone to find significant wins here,” he said.
