Quebec government to present budget on March 12

The Quebec government says it will present its provincial budget on March 12.

The Quebec government says it will present its provincial budget on March 12.

Finance Minister Éric Girard made the announcement on Thursday at the National Assembly, saying its priorities will be health and education.

"What you will see is that we have less revenue because the economy has slowed down over the past year," he explained, adding Quebec has had to deal with "exceptional circumstances that are difficult" but "definitely manageable."

This comes days after Premier François Legault warned that the next budget would be "largely in deficit" following turbulent collective agreement negotiations with the province's teachers.

"I'll tell you right away, we find ourselves with a budget that is significantly in deficit," he claimed. "Much more in deficit than it was before these negotiations."

He added these "financial consequences" are due to the government making "massive" investments in education to improve working conditions for teachers.

In addition, the Quebec government is blaming the growing number of asylum seekers for stresses on the education and social services networks.