They were more than 850 people who gathered near Quebec City Hall this afternoon to take part in a citizens’ demonstration and call on Bruno Marchand and François Legault to end the current streetcar project.
“They’re going to cut down hundreds of trees, they’re going to level forested areas, it has nothing to do with the environment,” said Quebec Climat director Martine Ouellet, who relies on citizen power to make people understand make it a “bad project”.
“What is the stubbornness of Mayor Marchand and the CAQ to go ahead with the streetcar project. There really are eels under rocks,” added the one who has never been so applauded by business rights activists.
PHOTO MARCEL TREMBLAY/QMI AGENCY
Martine Ouellet.
“propaganda campaign”
She did not hesitate to multiply the attacks on the Quebec Mayor and the Legault government. “Despite their propaganda campaign using millions of dollars from our taxes […] Quebecers are not fooled. »
The leader of Quebec’s conservative PCQ party, Éric Duhaime, has also made himself the spokesman for citizens against the tram. According to him, the CAQ government is acting against the will of the people.
“You know, as do I, that there are only 37% of people who support the tram in Quebec and when we learn that it costs more than 5 billion, that will leave 18% of people who support the tram and still support the four Parties will be supported in the National Assembly, 100% of those elected are all for the tram, this is democratic distortion. […] We are being foisted on the largest investment in Quebec City history,” he said.
PHOTO MARCEL TREMBLAY/QMI AGENCY
Dealers still in sight
The place was “warmed up” to hear the fiery speech of rally organizer Stéphane Lachance, who believes the people of Quebec have been “fooled” by Mayor Bruno Marchand.
The spokesman for the Tramway non merci movement was referring to the 10 improvements promised by Bruno Marchand, otherwise he would abandon the project.
“It is certain that the people who heard this [ce sont dit] : We will vote for him, ”he analyzed.
Québec spokeswoman Mérite Mieux Doris Chabot and former leader of Démocratie Québec Anne Guérette recalled that the Bureau of Public Hearings on the Environment did not recommend the project as it stands.
“Is it normal for environmental groups to be heavily subsidized to promote a destructive project, environmentalists condoning cutting down trees,” Ms Chabot wondered.
The citizens’ march that followed the speeches passed quietly.