MONTREAL — Coalition Avenir Québec Leader Christine Fréchette is set to meet with Montreal’s mayor, as the discovery of a one-year-old child at a homeless encampment sends waves through the provincial election campaign. Fréchette announced a list of promises ahead of the meeting with Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada, including the creation of a $250-million emergency fund for homelessness. Martinez Ferrada described the infant’s presence in the camp as a wake-up call and has said she’ll take action if the province won’t. The discovery of the baby on Sept. 11 has also prompted Fréchette’s opponents to criticize her government’s record and to weigh in on how to address homelessness. Liberal Leader Charles Milliard said that he would invest an additional $60 million per year in an effort to reduce homelessness to zero. Both Québec solidaire and the Parti Québécois have said they would name a homelessness superminister if elected, with PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon promising to take on the role himself.
