Quebec Liberals to correct costed platform after underestimating debt

The Quebec Liberals removed their costed platform from their website Wednesday after a media report noted its debt figures were off by $12 billion.

La Presse reported that the Liberals underestimated the provincial debt at the end of the mandate, which would come in at $252.6 billion instead of the $240.6 billion projected by the party in the financial framework released 10 days ago

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Carlos Leitao, a former Liberal finance minister responsible for the platform, confirmed the error to La Presse and vowed to correct it Wednesday.

The gaffe comes to light as Dominique Anglade prepares to take part in her first debate as Liberal leader on Thursday.

Late Tuesday, the Parti Québécois had to correct its platform hours after presenting it, blaming a spreadsheet error for overstating the cost of its commitments and the projected deficit in the final year of a PQ mandate.

The financial framework has been verified by an economics professor at the University of Ottawa, and PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon boasted that his was the only party to present a framework checked by an independent expert.