PQ threatens to withdraw Quebec from high-speed rail project if it forms government

QUÉBEC – The Parti Québécois threatened on Tuesday to withdraw Quebec from the federal government’s proposed high-speed rail network if the party wins the October provincial election, drawing widespread criticism from federal, provincial and municipal politicians.

PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon says he can’t justify to Quebecers that their money be spent on what risks becoming a “financial fiasco.” Although he did not explain how Quebec would withdraw from the project, the PQ leader’s opposition could create a serious obstacle for federal plans to start building the line before 2030.

St-Pierre Plamondon says the Bloc Québécois has estimated the project will end up costing $200 billion and that Quebecers’ share would be $40 billion. However, the federal corporation overseeing the 1,000-kilometre rail line linking Toronto to Quebec City estimates it will cost between $60 billion and $90 billion.

The PQ leader said priority should be given to maintaining aging infrastructure rather than a high-speed rail project, adding that he would demand Ottawa transfer money to Quebec equivalent to the province’s share of the project, suggesting it should be $40 billion.

In response to the PQ’s announcement, Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters on his way into the House of Commons, “Quebecers voted for the Liberal Party (of Canada) in the last election.”

For her part, Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette said the PQ “doesn’t understand how this works; it’s not true that we can recoup billions of dollars if this project doesn’t move forward in Quebec.”

Before heading into question period at the Quebec legislature, St-Pierre Plamondon nevertheless stood his ground. He said he aspires to be Quebec premier, “and sometimes that means taking stances that may be less popular, but stances that are the responsible thing to do.”

He argued that the renovations needed in Quebec for schools, hospitals, and roads is too significant to go ahead with a project that will cost an “astronomical” amount of money.

“Quebecers will understand me on this,” he concluded. 

The mayors of Quebec City, Montreal and Laval were quick to criticize the PQ leader, whose party is favoured by poll aggregator Qc125.com to win the Oct. 5 election. 

“The high-speed train will bring Quebec City closer to the continent’s major economic and political hubs and will become a powerful economic driver, as has been the case in all G7 countries before us,” Quebec City Mayor Bruno Marchand said in a statement sent to The Canadian Press.

Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada argued that the “high-speed rail should not be a partisan issue.” In her view, it is possible to both rebuild infrastructure and invest in new projects.

“Across Quebec, cities need concrete improvements in mobility,” she argued in a written statement. “This requires both strengthening existing public transit and carrying out major infrastructure projects.”

During a press conference, PQ member Joël Arseneau acknowledged that his party had not consulted the mayors of Quebec’s major cities before it came out with its plan to withdraw the province from the high-speed rail plan.

The PQ, however, is not alone in its disdain for the project.

Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has called on the federal government to cancel the project, describing it as a “boondoggle” that would waste taxpayer dollars.

And on Tuesday farm organizations from Quebec, Ontario and across Canada asked Ottawa to revisit the proposed rail corridor, saying the project could cost far more than projected and cause significant damage to agricultural land.

Federal Minister of Industry Mélanie Joly praised the project’s merits and noted that the provinces would not have to contribute a single penny to it. 

“Quebecers are ‘fed up’ with seeing that in France, it’s possible (to ride a high-speed train), but in Quebec it isn’t,” she told reporters.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2026.