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Hello everyone.

It’s a great pleasure for me to be here with you today for the first virtual edition of the annual meeting of the Union des municipalités du Québec (UMQ). Congratulations to Vicki-May Hamm and her entire team for their work organizing the meeting.

Let me begin by acknowledging your new president, Daniel Côté. Daniel, I am very much looking forward to working with you on the priorities of Quebec municipalities. We met four years ago at Forillon park, and I can tell you that I hope to be able to get back to Gaspésie in the near future.

Thank you to all the mayors and delegates for the important work that you do for our fellow citizens. We know that local governments play a crucial role in our communities.

Some of you have made the decision not to run for re-election in the fall. I am thinking in particular of mayors Labeaume, Pedneaud-Jobin, and Demers, with whom we have worked on numerous files, and also Suzanne Roy, who has presided over the UMQ for the past two years. Régis, Maxime, Marc, Suzanne and all the others, thank you for your tremendous contribution.

If we want to rebuild a country that works for everyone, with a strong middle class, we need all levels of government to work together in true partnership. And I am definitely committed to continuing on that path.

In the past year, we’ve all worked together to help people through this crisis.

For our part, the federal government acted quickly for workers and small businesses with measures such as the wage subsidy and commercial rent assistance.

We also provided over $1 billion to Quebec municipalities through the Safe Restart Agreement with the Government of Quebec.

In addition to allowing you to continue providing essential services during the crisis, this assistance has enabled many of you to freeze municipal taxes or balance your budget.

We know how important municipalities, chambers of commerce, and community organizations are in helping citizens during this difficult year, and it’s important to be there to support you. 

But I really want to thank you in particular as Quebecers and as Quebec leaders. Despite some very tough times, you have managed this crisis very well, and we are getting through it.

Right now, obviously, our number one priority is to finish the fight against COVID-19.

Over half of all adults in Canada have now received at least one vaccine dose.

When you look at the rate of vaccines administered each day, Canada ranks among the top in the G20 countries.

This is a great example of how working together as a team can produce real results.

This is true for the pandemic, and it is also true for the other challenges we have to face together.

A few weeks ago, we presented a budget that’s going to allow us to have a rapid and robust economic recovery.

I won’t repeat everything in our plan today, but what is certain is that we will continue to be there for all regions of Quebec.

For example, we are going to support the tourism sector and help businesses to make the switch to digital.

We will build on Quebec’s leadership on daycares to create an affordable child care system across the country, and Quebec will receive funding that it can use to, among other things, enhance its existing system.

We will also step up our investments in affordable housing to reduce homelessness and ensure that vulnerable people can have access to homes that are safe and secure. 

We have also strengthened the Gas Tax Fund so that you can continue to invest in critical infrastructure for the vitality of our cities.

More than ever, we know that prevention is better than cure.

Climate change is real.

As I said at President Biden’s summit on climate, there is no vaccine against pollution.

That’s why it takes a real plan to act.

Because we know that the consequences are also very real. I am sure there are people here today from the Outaouais, Basses-Laurentides, Montérégie or Beauce who could talk to us at length about the floods of the last few years.

A few years ago, forecasts indicated that our emissions were set to increase 12 per cent by 2030. But with all the work we’ve done over the past few years to get back on track, we’ve now set a new climate target for 2030. This target commits us to reducing our emissions by 40 to 45 per cent below 2005 levels.

One way to achieve our climate goals is to invest in our public transit. On that note, since 2015, our government has made the biggest investments in the history of Canada.

These investments allow us to breathe cleaner air, but also to create jobs here in Quebec.  

When TransLink in Vancouver orders electric buses from Nova Bus, it puts people to work in Saint‑Eustache and Saint-François-du-Lac.

We are also investing so that Lion Electric in the Laurentians becomes the first manufacturer of medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles in Canada to produce its own batteries.

And while we’re doing all this, we’re not forgetting the regions. In February, we introduced our plan to provide permanent funding for public transit, including money to improve rural transit systems.

And in order to keep our communities connected, and to create and maintain jobs, we are continuing to provide significant support to the aviation and aeronautics sector, as well as our airports.

We made major announcements this week and there will be good news coming soon for regional routes and a number of regional airports in Quebec.

And speaking of connected communities, you may have seen that we have been very active on the issue of high-speed Internet access in Quebec.

We all know that a reliable Internet connection is a basic necessity and one that is key to regional economic development and to workforce retention.

In March, Minister Champagne and I went to Trois-Rivières, not virtually but in person this time, to announce a joint investment with the Government of Quebec that will bring high-speed Internet access to nearly 150,000 more homes by September 2022.

I am proud of what our government has accomplished in the last few years, but as I often say: there’s still more work to do.  

Whether it’s the additional aid promised for the pyrrhotite victims or the contracts that will create jobs at the Davie shipyard;

Whether it’s the REM station at the Montréal airport or finalizing the purchase of the Quebec Bridge;

Whether it’s the purchase of two new ferries for the Îles-de-la-Madeleine – one for the transition and one permanent – or in so many other files, we are continuing to deliver the goods for Quebecers.

I can tell you that our Quebec team is still working very hard. Our Quebec Lieutenant, Pablo Rodriguez, as well as all ministers and MPs – we are there for you, just as we have been for the past six years.

You are on the front line, not just against the virus, but against many social and economic issues as well.

We understand your needs and we will continue to work together.

First, we are going to end this pandemic once and for all.

And we will rebuild a Quebec and a Canada with good jobs for the middle class, where everyone has a chance at success.

When I talk about a positive vision for the future, that’s what it’s all about.

Municipalities in Quebec and across the country have always been outstanding partners for this government in getting things done.

Like for the first six years, like through this difficult pandemic year, and into the future, we will keep working together to build back better.

We will keep doing it as partners and friends.

It’s been a difficult year, but I know we’ll come out of it stronger.

Now, more than ever, is the time to think big, not to be afraid of our ambitions, and to come together to improve the lives of our fellow citizens.

Thank you very much everyone.