QC tables balanced budget

Quebec Finance Minister Carlos Leitão presented a balanced budget on Thursday, but provincial Treasury Board President Martin Coiteux cautioned that “many great challenges lie ahead for the province.” Education and health were hit the hardest in the budget. The heads of QC's universities issued a statement indicating their disappointment in the budget, noting that the government has now slashed more than $270 M in funding since 2012–13. They suggested that the cuts will mean compromising quality and accessibility. Coiteux addressed student protestorsdirectly: “the effort to return to a balanced budget puts you at the heart of the state’s priorities. The actions the government is taking are especially aimed at your generation.” Parti Québécois finance critic Nicolas Marceau said, “it’s easy, very easy, to present a budget with 0 as the bottom line when they don’t care about the consequences." QC PSE institutions had been preparing for significant cuts. Montreal Gazette | CBC | National Post| Globe and Mail | University Leaders' Statement (in French)