QUEBEC — A single public transit card should be implemented throughout Quebec, electric bicycles should be subsidized, and landlords who improve units should be allowed to increase rents more.

Those are among the resolutions the Quebec Liberal Party is proposing to debate Saturday and Sunday during a general council in Drummondville, focused on the reconstruction of the party.

Article content

Article content

The Canadian Press obtained a copy of the document Thursday.

It remains silent on the constitutional and nationalist demands called for by the Liberals’ recovery committee in its report published Thursday.

In terms of transport, Liberal members propose in a framework resolution to put an end to the multitude of transit tickets and cards.

If the resolution is adopted, a Liberal party in power would therefore set up “a single payment platform for access to public transport across the entire territory and transport networks,” regardless of the mode of transport used.

Consequently, the resolution also provides for “a travel system allowing the use of a single universal transportation card throughout Quebec.”

However, there is no question of a single fare, since each regional transport company would remain responsible for establishing its own prices.

Last year, the Parti Québécois proposed a single card that would cost $365 per year and give access to all public transport systems including intercity buses and ferries.

Members are also proposing a subsidy program for the purchase of electric bicycles as exists in Europe. And the Liberals will debate the abolition of subsidies for public transit vehicles emitting greenhouse gases, such as current diesel buses, in favour of subsidies for the purchase of electric buses.

Article content

Article content

The party also suggests relaunching the debate on a high-speed rail link between Quebec City and Toronto, to push the federal government to support a study on high-speed rail rather than the high-frequency train currently proposed.

In its multi-part framework resolution on housing, the Liberals propose, among other things, a rent indexation policy based on the costs of rental improvements.

This contrasts with the rent increase calculation formula of the Tribunal administratif du logement, which currently takes it into account, but in a reduced and modulated manner thanks to depreciation, etc.

The policy put into play by Liberal members would correspond “to the realities of the market and the costs of rental improvements carried out by owners of private housing.”

However, it would be “implemented gradually so as to avoid price shocks for tenants, while allowing owners to maintain the rental real estate stock and thus protect the quality of life and security of their tenants.”

To balance this, the Liberals also recommend the adoption of a bill to “raise awareness, prevent and fight against intimidation, harassment and discrimination by abusive landlords with the aim of restricting the enjoyment of the premises to a tenant so as to obtain that the latter leaves the premises.”

Around 20 resolutions from regional committees will also be debated during the weekend.

This general council is part of the process of rebuilding the party, which saw support drop significantly in 2018 and 2022 and the departure of its leader Dominique Anglade shortly after.

In last year’s general elections, the Liberals fell to 591,077 votes, a little more than the Conservative Party of Éric Duhaime (530,786), but less than Québec solidaire (634,535) and the Parti Québécois (600,708). The party was crushed in all regions of Quebec, except Montreal, Laval, Montérégie and Outaouais.

The party has been in steady decline since 2018, but remains the official opposition.

Article content

Article content