Quebec premier has no intention on intervening in 5.9 per cent rent hike

Quebec Premier Francois Legault speaks to the media during the Coalition Avenir Quebec pre-sessional caucus in Saint-Sauveur, Que., on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press)

Quebec Premier Francois Legault has no intention of intervening in the substantial 5.9 per cent increase in rent prices by the Administrative Housing Tribunal (TAL), despite the request from the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ).

According to the head of government, the solution to the housing crisis lies in increasing supply.

“Our help will be to continue to build affordable housing and to continue to have more families eligible for programmes such as Accès logis,” he said. “I would remind you that we are helping more than 100,000 families to pay their rent.”

Although he acknowledges that the increase will be “very hard on some people,” Legault does not believe that it is up to the province to intervene since housing is in the “private sector” and the TAL is an “independent tribunal.”

The TAL suggests an average increase in rental prices of 5.9 per cent in 2025, a marked jump on the growth estimates of recent years.

This is the estimate for a basic unheated dwelling. Based on this assumption, a tenant paying $1,000 in rent could see his bill rise to $1,059 when his lease comes up for renewal.

Last year, its rent increase projection was four per cent, while it was 2.3 per cent in 2023 and 1.28 per cent in 2022.

This is unacceptable!

Earlier on Wednesday, interim Liberal leader Marc Tanguay called on the Legault government to intervene to reduce rent increases, as it did to cap hydro rates at three per cent.

“The 5.9 per cent rent increase that will be allowed does not pass the test. It’s unacceptable! It has to be reviewed. The minister can act; the Legault government can act on this, but they won’t,” he said on the sidelines of his party’s caucus in the Eastern Townships.

Asked to clarify his thoughts, Tanguay said the government had already done so with the Régie de l'énergie for hydro rates.

“The government can decide to come to the assistance of Quebecers on an ad hoc basis. This rent increase will have a major impact on the budgets of thousands of Quebecers as of July 1. (...) We can’t just sit back and do nothing. We have to review this decision, this impact,” he added.

The Liberal leader went further than his housing critic, Virginie Dufour, who said on Tuesday: “I don’t think it’s possible to intervene at this stage and reduce an increase.”

The PLQ is also calling for a change in the way the suggested increase in the APR is calculated.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Jan. 22, 2025.