Last month, Premier François Legault officially asked the federal government to fund 40 per cent of a controversial tunnel project that would provide a third access point to Quebec City from the south.

His request made the “third link” a topic of discussion on the campaign trail in the city ever since — and it could sway voters in key battleground ridings in the area.

The two-tier tunnel would connect Quebec City’s downtown sector with South Shore municipality of Lévis. It’s projected to cost anywhere between $7 billion and $10 billion and is expected to be completed by 2031.

With one third of its lanes reserved for public transit and carpooling, the province is touting the third link — a campaign promise of the Coalition Avenir Québec government — as a public transit-friendly project that would remedy major traffic issues on the Quebec and Pierre-Laporte bridges.

Throughout his first week on the campaign trail, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet was hesitant to take a stand on the project, preferring to point out that the project falls within provincial jurisdiction,  so his opinion therefore did not matter. 

But as reporters continued to press for answers, Blanchet caved and let his opinion slip on his 10th day campaigning, saying he “does not hate” the project.

“I am convinced that it can be [ecological] and that Quebec is perfectly conscious that this project has a positive potential in terms of the environment,” Blanchet told reporters.

Just days later, Blanchet clarified that he had expressed his personal opinion, not that of his party. 

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