Quebec Budget 2025-2026 faces record deficit, critics warn of reduced services and regional neglect
The 2025-2026 provincial budget, presented by the Quebec government, has drawn widespread criticism from opposition figures and regional groups. Among the main concerns is a record deficit of 13.6 billion dollars, and an austerity plan that critics say will lead to fewer public services and significant neglect of regions such as Laval.
According to Tommy Chouinard of La Presse (March 25, 2025), the budget reflects years of fiscal challenges and an economic scenario based on optimistic assumptions. The government plans to impose a near-freeze on expenditures over the next five years in order to return to budget balance by 2029-2030. This strategy, however, hinges on the hope that the United States will quickly reduce its 25 percent tariff regime; officials expect tariffs to fall to an average of 10 percent for a transitional period of about two years. Finance Minister Eric Girard acknowledged that there remains a 40 to 50 percent risk of recession under the current assumptions, and the budget relies on a cautious plan to recover billions through measures such as adjustments in tax credits and pressure on federal transfers.
Action Laval, municipal councillor David De Cotis and mayoral candidate Frédéric Mayer have decried the omission of Laval from key provincial priorities. They claim that, despite the urgent needs in transportation, housing, and infrastructure, nothing concrete has been proposed for projects that would benefit Laval, such as extending the metro or investing in the Cité de la Santé hospital. Action Laval is directly blaming the mayor for the lack of focus on Laval in Quebec’s budget: “We consider that this failure is largely due to the outgoing administration, which was not able to advance the many pressing issues in Laval.”
Virginie Dufour, the Mille-Îles MP and spokesperson for the official opposition in Laval, denounced the budget as the result of irresponsible fiscal management by the CAQ government. She pointed to broken promises, including the lack of funding for extending the Orange Line and the long-overdue upgrades at the Centre jeunesse Cartier, and warned that public services in Laval are set to decline as a consequence.
As the CAQ government moves forward with its plan to rein in spending and tackle the deficit, many question whether this austerity approach will be enough to stave off a potential recession. With Quebec’s economy under significant pressure from both domestic challenges and international trade tensions, the coming years are likely to test the resilience of the province’s public services and the effectiveness of its fiscal strategies. This report is provided in a neutral manner, summarizing the perspectives of various sources, including Tommy Chouinard of La Presse and official statements from Action Laval and other critics.
