Magdalen Islands | A “liberticidal tax” is imposed on tourists, denounces Éric Duhaime

(Quebec) Conservative leader Éric Duhaime challenges members of the National Assembly to loudly denounce the “liberticidal tax” which came into force on Wednesday in the Magdalen Islands.

“As we speak, there are still none of the 125 deputies in the National Assembly who have come out to deplore and denounce this measure,” railed Mr. Duhaime at a press briefing in Quebec.

The “Archipel Pass” is a tourist fee of $30 per person (13 years and over) which will be collected this summer on the Islands in order to finance, in particular, the management of residual materials and recreational tourism infrastructure.

“This is a dangerous precedent. This is a form of taxation that seems abusive to us. The movement of the population on Canadian territory is protected by (…) the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. (…) This is clearly an obstacle. »

He fears that other municipalities, such as Isle-aux-Grues or Île-d’Anticosti, will follow in the footsteps of Îles-de-la-Madeleine.

“If we start to say that municipalities can have fees for citizens who enter or leave their territories, we are not out of the woods. This means that all municipalities in Quebec could start taxing their fellow citizens in this way,” he argues.

The Conservative leader invites the members of the National Assembly, and in particular the PQ member for Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Joël Arseneau, to denounce the situation.

Last week, at a press briefing, Mr. Arseneau instead defended the “Archipel Pass”, saying he supported “the mayor in his approach to ensure that we have quality recreational and tourism infrastructure”.

“Listen, this is the means that the Quebec government put in place in 2017 so that municipalities can find new sources of revenue to assume their responsibilities. So, the municipal council of Îles-de-la-Madeleine wants to use this tool, and it is completely legitimate to do so,” he explained.

“We knew that the Parti Québécois (…) wanted to erect borders between Quebec and the other Canadian provinces. We never thought that the PQ, its objective, was to erect borders between (…) the regions of Quebec,” Mr. Duhaime reacted on Wednesday.

“Today, it is very disappointing to see that the PQ would be complicit in a measure that seems so insane to us,” he added.

There are other ways to ensure fairness among taxpayers, he said. For example, to finance waste management, the Magdalen Islands could require tourists to purchase garbage bags.

The Conservative leader is delighted that the Magdalen Islands will hold a consultation on May 16, a sign, according to him, that the decision to impose a fee on tourists “is still reversible.”