Duceppe urges Conservatives to invest in Quebec City

Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe is calling on the federal government to invest a half-billion dollars in Quebec City, including $175 million for the construction of a new NHL-ready arena. Duceppe, who plans to unveil the rest of his budgetary demands on Wednesday, has already said his party would vote against the federal budget if it doesn’t include a $2.2 billion settlement for Quebec for having harmonized its provincial sales tax with the GST. A recent poll shows the Bloc leading the Conservatives by eight points (37 per to 29 per cent) in the Quebec City area, where the Tories have been campaigning aggressively. Conservative candidates took home 38 per cent of the vote in the provincial capital region in the 2008 election while the Bloc took in 30 per cent support.

Le Soleil

Canadian Press