Parti Québécois releases government’s budget spending estimates

QUEBEC CITY – Stéphane Bédard, who as president of the Quebec treasury board holds the purse strings of the province, released spending estimates for 2013-2014 on Thursday, 16 days after the budget presented to execute those plans.

As previously announced, Bédard wants to hold down the increase in government spending to 1.8 per cent in the new fiscal year, and will do so by cutting spending by an average of 0.9 per cent, or $122 million to most government departments.

Health spending will rise by 4.8 per cent, education by 2.2 per cent, while the family budget, to add daycare places, will increase by 3.2 per cent.

Spending on culture will rise by 2.1 per cent and municipal affairs will get 1.4 per cent more.

At a glance: Spending estimates and cuts

Absent from Bédard’s estimates were details of his planned $9.5-billion infrastructure spending program, which will be announced by spring, as well as details of the Parti Québécois government’s commitment to boost spending on research and development.

But Bédard said for the Montreal region, “great years” are ahead for spending on major infrastructure programs already underway, such as the city’s two new university teaching hospitals, the planned Turcot Interchange reconstruction and new hospital projects.