Philippe Couillard hoping more spending can ease Liberal woes

These are tough times to be a Quebec Liberal. A series of scandals has overshadowed its mid-mandate budget and tainted the party's image ahead of a byelection on Monday.  

Premier Philippe Couillard, though, is hoping some well-timed spending announcements will remind voters of the sentiment that carried them to a majority government two years ago. 

As Couillard campaigned in the Saguenay riding of Chicoutimi over the weekend, he gave some not-so-subtle hints that big infrastructure projects will be unveiled soon. 

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In particular, Couillard suggested the province's institutional investment arm would be giving the go-ahead to two long-discussed projects: a rail link between downtown Montreal and Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport and a light rail transit (LRT) system for the new Champlain Bridge.  

"Very soon the Caisse de dépôt will present to the population its vision for these two projects," Couillard told reporters on Saturday.

"I think it will be very exciting. I am really looking forward to it being presented." 

Remember the budget?

The hope, for Liberals, is that these projects will displace some of the negative headlines they have been burdened with of late. 

On budget day last month, Quebec's anti-corruption squad (UPAC) made a series of high-profile arrests that included former Liberal deputy premier Nathalie Normandeau.

Earlier this month, Treasury President Sam Hamad stepped down pending an ethics investigation into his relationship with a Liberal fundraiser who now faces corruption charges. 

"In my opinion we haven't talked enough about the budget," Finance Minister Carlos Leitao said when Hamad resigned. 

The government has set $2 million aside to promote the budget, which, after two years of unpopular cost-cutting measures, slightly increased spending. 

But even that could spell trouble for the Liberals.

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In previous years, the government had only set aside $200,000 for budget promotion. Now opposition parties are criticizing the government for overspending on back-patting advertising.

All this doesn't bode well for the party's chances in Monday's byelection in Chicoutimi.

But the Liberals faced an uphill battle from the outset in the riding. It's been in Parti Québécois hands since the 1970s.

A local poll conducted by the research firm Segma suggested a majority of voters think the Liberals are corrupt, an image problem Couillard was forced to confront over the weekend.  

"I understand people's opinions after the news of recent weeks," Couillard said. He reiterated his party had taken several measures to increase the transparency of its fundraising activities. 

"We took the measures we needed to take. We have to look at the present and the future."

Bill 86 amendments 

In another sign the Liberals are seeking to shore up support after a shaky couple of weeks, Couillard's office indicated that it planned to make amendments to Bill 86, its proposed school board reform.

The bill, in its current form, will effectively abolish school board elections. It has been met with stiff opposition from anglophone groups, who tend to be loyal Liberal backers.

Jennifer Maccarone, president of the Quebec English School Boards Association, said she is "cautiously optimistic" the Liberals will eventually back down from their plan to get rid of elections.

"We're happy that we are moving in a direction that respects our community, and respects the things we've been asking for," Maccarone said.