Parti Québecois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon came under fire from his rivals on Friday after revealing that his planned sovereignty referendum would cost at least $130 million.
While three of the five leaders in the campaign argued that there were better ways to spend this money, sovereigntist left-wing party Québec solidaire defended the proposed expense.
In an interview with The Canadian Press, St-Pierre Plamondon had detailed the costs of preparing for and holding the referendum in 2029 or 2030 if his party forms a government.
The referendum budget includes $20 million for studies and consultations in the first years of a Parti Québecois government mandate. Holding the referendum in 2029-30 would cost $110 million, according to the party leader.
St-Pierre Plamondon admitted the cost could exceed that amount if there are “unforeseen expenses.”
“People will have their say, but we won’t apologize for living in a democracy and for consulting the people if we’ve reached that point,” he added.
His party’s figures on a referendum will be included in the financial framework he plans to make public on Sept. 15, the day of the first party leaders’ debate of a provincial election campaign that will wrap up when Quebecers go to the polls on Oct. 5.
Christine Fréchette, leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec, said there were still numbers missing from St-Pierre Plamondon’s plan. She said he had failed to disclose the costs that could be triggered after a referendum.
“The Parti Québécois tell us that they evaluate the cost of organizing a referendum at $130 million. What about the cost of year one of a sovereign Quebec? They’re completely mute on that,” she said.
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Fréchette, who has declined to say how she would vote in a sovereignty referendum, called herself an “autonomist” on Friday, promising to defend Quebec’s interests within Canada.
“It’s $130 million that frankly, could be invested elsewhere,” she said.
Quebec Liberal Leader Charles Milliard called the planned expense a misuse of funds in a separate news conference.
“I can tell you what we would do with $130 million. We could offer close to one million hours of home care. We could build probably three elementary schools and 1300 non-market housing units,” he said.
Conservative Leader Éric Duhaime was also quick to criticize St-Pierre Plamondon’s plan. He said it was “unacceptable” to plan these expenses at a time when the cost of living remains high.
“Unfortunately, the Parti Québecois lives on another planet,” said Duhaime.
“He told us he didn’t want a referendum in the first three years. Now, today, we’re learning that in those three years, they plan to spend money to try to convince us to vote ‘Yes’ in the fourth year when he imposes his referendum,” he said.
St-Pierre Plamondon has said his party would hold a referendum on Quebec sovereignty after U.S. President Donald Trump leaves office, regardless of whether it forms a majority or minority government.
Asked about this criticism, St-Pierre Plamondon defended his referendum budget and said general elections in the province cost about $110 million.
He also said Quebec independence would lead to savings in the long run.
“The goal is to end federal waste that duplicates everything we do and loses money like nowhere else, costing us billions of dollars,” he said.
Also on the campaign trail, Québec solidaire spokesperson Ruba Ghazal defended the need for an extensive consultation on Quebec sovereignty.
“For us as an (sovereigntist) party, it’s important to have a big consultation — with First Nations, with the people who are afraid maybe to be an independent country, with the anglophones, with the whole social society,” she said.
She said her party has budgeted $220 million for an assembly in charge of writing a new Quebec constitution that would be at the heart of a sovereignty referendum.
If he becomes premier on Oct. 5, St-Pierre Plamondon told The Canadian Press he would appoint a minister responsible for the independence process, who would replace the minister of Canadian relations.
“We don’t have any plans regarding the size or number of employees per ministry, but … we can commit to not increasing the size of that particular ministry,” he said.
The PQ leader added that the “intergovernmental relationship with Ottawa is also becoming part of the independence project.”
Since the start of the election campaign, the PQ’s opponents have been demanding details on the cost of a potential referendum. When pressed by The Canadian Press, he decided to open the books.
“Part of my opponents’ strategy is to demonize consulting the people about their future, by saying it’s appalling,” he said. “However, overall, we’re proposing to curb historic waste … so I think people will evaluate our political platform as a whole.”
St-Pierre Plamondon is confident his party’s promises have been properly budgeted for, saying “it’s a more than prudent budgetary approach.”
The PQ leader also said the financial framework he will soon table will be “the budgetary framework for a Quebec in the current context.”
It will not take into account, for example, the promise to create a Quebec army after the referendum, should the “Yes” side win.
“Quebec’s budgetary framework will change after Quebec’s independence,” he said.
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