Quebec Finance Minister to release budget March 25

Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard presents a financial update in Quebec City on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (Jacques Boissinot / The Canadian Press)

Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard will table the 2025-2026 budget on March 25.

In a post on X Wednesday, he said it will be “an opportunity to present our plan to support Quebec in the face of economic uncertainty.”

On Tuesday, Premier François Legault announced the government would give vulnerable businesses up to $50 million in loans after U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs went into effect.

Along with Economy Minister Christine Fréchette and Quebec Treasury Board President Sonia LeBel, Legault promised Quebec’s economy will “be completely different” in a year or two.

Legault said the province has “major assets” it can rely on to create jobs and revenue, like Investissement Québec, the Caisse de Dépôt — which generates returns for pension funds — and Hydro-Québec.

The province is also looking to diversify its trading partners, especially within Canada.

“No matter what Donald Trump does over the next four years, we have the enormous challenge of reshaping Quebec’s economy to reduce our dependence on the United States,” Legault said on Tuesday.

Quebec’s 2024-2025 budget projected an $11 billion deficit. Girard had said the government is aiming for a balanced budget by the 2029-2030 fiscal year.