3 days ago
Support for the third link: ‘It's fantastic,' says minister
Quebec Minister for Infrastructure Jonatan Julien answers questions during a press scrum at the opening of the Coalition Avenir Québec caucus in Saguenay on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. (The Canadian Press/Francis Vachon)
Even though the cost and route of the third link are still unknown, Jonatan Julien, minister for the Capitale-Nationale region, is enthusiastic to see that the project is still popular in Quebec City.
'I am happy to see that 70 per cent of people support this project ... It's fantastic. We must move forward,' he said during a press conference on Tuesday at the National Assembly.
A SOM poll published in Le Soleil on Tuesday morning indicates that 70 per cent of citizens surveyed are in favour of the third link project between Quebec City and Lévis.
The CAQ government has been very indecisive about the project. In April 2023, Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault abandoned the project for a motorway link between Quebec City and Lévis. Instead, she proposed a tunnel dedicated to public transport.
Then, in October 2023, less than 24 hours after his crushing defeat in Jean-Talon against the Parti Québécois (PQ), Premier François Legault took everyone by surprise by announcing that he wanted to consult the people of Quebec City about the third link and that all options were on the table.
The project was revived in June 2024 despite an unfavourable report from the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec.
At present, the route and cost of the project are still unknown. Minister Guilbault is expected to unveil the chosen corridor shortly.
'Election gimmick'
Québec solidaire (QS), which strongly opposes the project, believes that support for the project is being maintained due to 'lobbying.'
'There is strong lobbying by the Lévis Chamber of Commerce and certain private media outlets in Quebec City pushing for this project. I understand that people are tired of being stuck in traffic. Quite honestly, I understand them. I sympathize with them. However, the real solutions to put forward are not to add more traffic lanes,' said QS MNA Etienne Grandmont, who describes the project as an 'electoral gimmick.'
The third link is nothing more than an 'electoral fad,' according to PQ MNA Pascal Paradis.
'It's an issue that is being used for electoral purposes by the CAQ. Promises are made before the elections, and now we're heading towards a general election in 2026. Suddenly, we're back to the third link, and it's costing us a lot of money,' he said.
The SOM-Le Soleil poll was conducted from 27 to 30 May 2025 among 929 French-speaking Quebec adults in the Quebec City census metropolitan area (CMA). The maximum margin of error for all respondents is +/- 4.9%, 19 times out of 20.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 3, 2025.
