The prospect of a high-speed rail link between Quebec City and Toronto has become a flashpoint in the province’s election campaign, after the Parti Québécois pledged to withdraw from the project if it wins power in October. Federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon denounced the move as a threat to national unity, while Quebec Liberal critics accused the PQ of prioritising its referendum obsession over infrastructure. The PQ leader, Paul St-Pierre-Plamondon, countered that the project risked becoming a financial fiasco and that renovating Quebec’s aging roads and bridges should take precedence over what he dismissed as ribbon-cutting for a scheme designed to bolster Canadian unity.

Viewed from Quebec City, the controversy underscores a deeper political divide. The governing Coalition Avenir Québec, meanwhile, saw its flagship bill to accelerate major infrastructure projects – Bill 5 – die on the order paper as the parliamentary session ended, a victim of opposition filibustering. Finance Minister Eric Girard blamed Québec Solidaire for ideological obstruction but vowed to reintroduce the legislation if the CAQ is re-elected. The setback highlights the challenges of advancing a long-term infrastructure agenda in a fractured legislature.

On immigration, the CAQ government announced the revival of the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ) for two years, fulfilling a promise made during the party’s leadership race. The program, which had been abolished in November 2025, will again allow immigrants who were previously eligible to apply. Immigration Minister François Bonnardel framed the move as a more humane approach, though critics note it comes amid broader uncertainty over the province’s demographic and economic needs.

Analysts in Montreal observe that the TGV debate encapsulates a recurring tension in Quebec politics: between projects framed as nation-building exercises by Ottawa and those seen locally as costly distractions. The CEO of Alto, the Crown corporation designing the rail link, pushed back against PQ cost estimates, arguing that critics were speculating without knowing the project’s details. As the election approaches, the fate of the TGV – along with the CAQ’s infrastructure ambitions and the revived PEQ – will test whether voters prioritise grand visions or pragmatic renewal. The outcome will shape not only Quebec’s transport and immigration policies but also its relationship with the federal government for years to come.