Murray Wood: Of Easter bunny bells and Juicy Fruit gum
For Murray Wood, Easter brings to mind grandma's practical advice about repurposing, and some of life's little lessons.
QUÉBEC — Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard tabled his eighth and what will likely be his final budget ahead of the October general election. Here are some highlights from Quebec’s budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year.
— Revenues of $166.5 billion, a rise of 3.7 per cent.
— Operational deficit of $6.3 billion, which rises to $8.6 billion when legally required payments into a debt-repayment fund are included. That number also includes a $2-billion contingency fund.
— GDP grew by 0.8 per cent in 2025, and is expected to grow by 1.1 per cent in 2026 and 1.4 per cent in 2027.
— Inflation in Quebec expected to be 2.3 per cent in 2026, slightly higher than the 2.1 Canadian average.
— Health-care spending $68.7 billion, a rise of 4.1 per cent.
— Education spending $24.1 billion, a rise of 2.4 per cent; higher education $11.7 billion, a rise of 3.7 per cent.
— Debt service forecast to be $10.3 billion.
— A special $250-million fund that can be used at the discretion of the winner of the leadership race of the governing Coalition Avenir Québec. The winning candidate will replace François Legault as premier ahead of a general election campaign in the fall.
— Quebec’s share of federal equalization is $13.9 billion, a rise of 2.5 per cent.
— On March 31, 2026, Quebec’s net debt will be $250.3 billion, or 38.8 per cent of GDP, second only to Newfoundland and Labrador among the provinces.
— $1 billion into a new fund to support the critical and strategic mineral sector.
— $104.5 million over five years to eliminate one of the royalties paid to the government by the forestry sector.
— $40.2 million over five years for refundable tax credits for Quebec news media, which expands beyond print media and will now cover television, radio and news agencies.
— Quebec’s exports outside Canada fell by 2.9 per cent in 2025 compared to Canadian average drop of 1.7 per cent.
— The 2025-26 fiscal year will end with a $7.7-billion deficit, which is an improvement of almost $3.8 billion from the original estimate. This excludes the legally required payment into a fund to pay down the debt.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 18, 2026.
The Canadian Press
