Quebec to table budget March 25 with focus on infrastructure, tariffs

MONTREAL — Quebec’s finance minister will table the province’s next budget on March 25, with a focus on shoring up businesses and workers amid the economic disruption of U.S. tariffs.

Eric Girard says the budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year will be a chance to present the province’s plan to “support Quebec in the face of economic uncertainty.”

Quebec Premier François Legault said earlier this week he had asked Girard to include funding to speed up major infrastructure projects, including for schools, hospitals and transportation.

The premier also said the budget would include funding for the province’s investment arm — Investissement Québec — as well as newly announced loan programs for businesses threatened by the 25 per cent tariffs the U.S. on Tuesday imposed on Canadian goods.

Girard presented an economic update in November that painted a rosy picture of the province’s economic progress, despite a projected $11-billion deficit.

Girard previously told reporters the government’s goal is to balance the budget by the 2029-30 fiscal year, but it’s unclear whether the tariffs will impact that plan.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 6, 2025.

The Canadian Press