Quebec Budget: 'People are struggling' yet CAQ offers no help, opposition says
The latest Coalition Avenir Québec budget does little to help people struggling to pay for their groceries and rent amid an affordability crisis, opposition parties said Wednesday.
“People are struggling to pay their grocery bills, to make ends meet,” Liberal MNA André Fortin said.
Yet the only thing the government announced is an additional 5,000 subsidized daycare spots, he said.
“There are nine million Quebecers, not 5,000 of us, so it’s a very partial answer.”
Ruba Ghazal, co-spokesperson for Québec solidaire, said the budget “was the CAQ’s last chance to give people some oxygen, and they failed.”
“Families are having a hard time finding housing and paying their rent and mortgages — and the finance minister will only build 1,000 new housing units over three years. It’s irresponsible and insulting.”
Pascal Paradis, the Parti Québécois finance critic, said transportation and food are among the categories hardest hit by inflation. But the budget does nothing to provide relief in those areas, he said.
Here are key measures in Finance Minister Eric Girard’s budget that directly affect Quebecers:
Daycare spots
To help some parents cut costs, Quebec will convert 5,000 non-subsidized daycare spots into subsidized ones.
Parents pay as little as $9.65 per day in subsidized daycares — much less than the fees charged by ones that don’t benefit from government subsidies.
The measure will cost the government $95 million per year.
School tax
The increase in school taxes paid by property owners will be limited to three per cent in 2026, maintaining a cap that has been in place since 2022.
The province said the move will not affect school funding or services because it will provide $96 million per year to the school network.
School cultural activities
After an uproar about planned cuts, Quebec is backtracking and will maintain funding for school cultural activities.
They include school cultural events involving artists and writers, as well as outings to venues such as museums, theatres and heritage sites.
The measure will cost the province $119 million over five years.
Domestic violence
Quebec said the number of femicides committed in Quebec in the first few months of 2026 “demonstrates the importance of continuing efforts to meet the needs of victims of violence.”
It promised $260 million in additional funding over five years.
Of that, $91 million is for shelters and $73 million is for the court specialized in sexual and domestic violence.
Homelessness
Quebec will increase funding to help people experiencing homelessness and struggling with mental health challenges.
An additional $90 million over five years will go toward helping people who are without housing or who are at risk. That includes money for an eviction-prevention project and 1,000 new housing units under a rent supplement program.
Another $174 million will go toward helping people with mental health issues.
Automatic tax filing
Starting next year, Quebec will automatically file income tax returns for at least 10,000 Quebecers whose tax situation is simple.
The program is aimed at people who have low incomes and don’t file taxes, depriving themselves of access to financial help they’re entitled to, such the solidarity tax credit.
Quebec said it is also continuing a pilot project under which people with low incomes can file simplified tax forms. In 2026, 335,000 people will be eligible.
Housing
Average monthly residential rent in Quebec has risen from $845 in 2020 to $1,232 in 2025 — an increase of more than 45 per cent, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
To help deal with the housing crunch, Quebec says it will spent $741 million over three years.
Almost one-third of that will be used to build 1,000 affordable housing units, with the rest going to secure access to housing for the most vulnerable households and to renovate low-income housing.
A residential construction trade group said the budget does not do enough to boost residential construction.
Quebec must construct 100,000 new housing units annually to keep up with demand, yet only 60,000 are currently being built, according to the Association des professionels de la construction et de l’habitation du Québec.