High-speed rail: Fréchette accuses PQ of turning back on Capitale-Nationale

The leader of the Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, is threatening to withdraw from the high-speed rail project connecting Quebec City and Toronto. (The Canadian Press)

Paul St-Pierre Plamondon’s Parti Québécois (PQ) is “turning its back” on the Capitale-Nationale region by rejecting the federal government’s high-speed rail project, according to Premier Christine Fréchette.

The premier made the comment while delivering a speech to Quebec City business leaders Thursday evening at an event organized by the Chamber of Commerce.

• READ MORE: ‘We don’t want to re-live that history’: Quebec farmers protest high-speed train project

She insisted that, unlike the PQ, her party, the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), supports the project.

“We’re also moving forward with the high-speed rail,” she declared to applause. “It’s a large-scale project that’s highly transformative, generating major benefits for Capitale-Nationale and Quebec, and is funded by the federal government.

“It will generate benefits in terms of the economy, traffic flow, the environment and mobility. What more could you ask for?

She continued: “Of course, it must be done in a way that ensures the necessary social acceptance, but this is crucial for the Capitale-Nationale region, and it’s important that we move forward.

“Count on us to move forward,” she added as the audience of businesspeople responded with repeated cheers of “Bravo.”

“The PQ’s position on this issue amounts to turning its back on the Capitale-Nationale — it’s abandoning the Capitale-Nationale,” the premier concluded.

• READ MORE: PQ threatens to withdraw Quebec from high-speed rail project if it forms government

The high-speed rail project, led by federal Crown corporation Alto, is set to connect Toronto to Quebec City, with stops in cities across Ontario and Quebec.

Construction of the first segment, between Montreal and Ottawa, is set to begin in 2029 or 2030.

Currently, Alto estimates the project could cost between $60 and $90 billion.

However, according to St-Pierre Plamondon, priority should be given to maintaining aging infrastructure rather than building a new high-speed rail project.

Earlier this week, he announced that if his party formed the next government, he would withdraw Quebec from the project, a move that drew criticism from all sides.

• READ MORE: Go Alto: The public campaign backing Canada’s high-speed rail project

With two months to go before the election campaign kicks off, Fréchette also reiterated her commitment to improving bridgeheads and building a third link between Quebec City and Lévis.

She acknowledged that the previous CAQ government had mishandled the issues.

“The ‘back-and-forth’ is over. Now, we’re just going to move forward,” she declared.

Jean-Talon PQ MNA Pascal Paradis retorted, “the Legault-Fréchette government has a dismal track record in the Capitale-Nationale region. Christine Fréchette herself admits it when she talks about ‘back-and-forth.’”

He concluded: “She has no lessons to teach on the right way to support Quebec City’s aspirations.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 12, 2026.