Opposition parties in the National Assembly hope that the economic update that the Legault government will present in less than 48 hours will bring good news for people particularly hit by inflation.
Posted at 4:47 p.m.
Mathieu Paquette The Canadian Press
According to the government, the update, which will be presented on Tuesday by Finance Minister Eric Girard, should not contain any new general one-off aid. However, Prime Minister François Legault has repeatedly raised the idea of more targeted aid for people particularly affected by rising prices and interest rates.
Among the opposition, we hope that this help will be reflected in the structuring of programs that address the root causes of housing and cost of living problems.
“We are not just taking targeted measures, but long-term and structuring measures,” emphasizes Christine Labrie, MP for Quebec Solidaire (QS). Sending checks, even more targeted checks, doesn’t solve the problem in the long run. »
In this sense, QS is calling on the government to better control rent increases and increase the minimum wage. The Parti Québécois (PQ) proposes the introduction of a program to facilitate access to real estate, in particular by improving the tax credit for the purchase of a first home, currently at $1,500.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
Joël Arseneau, PQ MP
We hope that the government will show imagination instead of doing what it did in the last budgets and sending out checks that will be issued as soon as they are received.
Joël Arseneau, PQ MP
On the Liberal Party (PLQ) side, we propose the abolition of the Quebec Sales Tax (QST) on rental housing construction, which would mirror similar decisions made by other provinces since the federal government announced in September its abolition of the GST for this type of construction – Mr Legault has already ruled out this idea, arguing that it would cost too much and would not necessarily be very effective.
The PLQ also considers an extension of parental leave by six months to be relevant due to the lack of daycare places.
“In these times of economic uncertainty, it is imperative that the CAQ takes control of itself and shows vision and responsibility,” Interim Liberal Leader Marc Tanguay wrote in a written statement to The Canadian Press.
More help for housing construction
When Minister Girard announced the date for his economic update a month ago, he indicated that housing, homelessness and climate change adaptation would be the focus.
We should therefore learn a little more on Tuesday how Quebec will spend a first part of the 900 million that will be transferred to it over the next five years by the federal government as part of the fund to accelerate housing construction.
Quebec has committed to doubling the amount, so that 1.8 billion will be invested in the construction of affordable housing over the next five years.
The details of this agreement are not yet known, but the opposition parties already want to ensure that this sum is used to build social housing.
“We are finally getting money from the federal government, but it has to be used to create social housing,” Mr. Arseneau noted. The last budget planned for 1000 units. We need at least 5,000 per year, so it is important to work hard on this issue because expectations are high. »
“When I talk about social housing, I mean housing that remains affordable over time, unlike certain programs,” Ms. Labrie added.
In its last budget in March, Quebec reserved 650 million for the construction and renovation of 5,250 social housing units under various programs.
Against the background of negotiations in the public sector
Minister Girard will make his presentation the day after the first day of the all-union joint front strike. The joint front, composed of CSQ, CSN, APTS and FTQ, represents 420,000 workers who will walk out on Monday and disrupt the operations of schools, health facilities and CEGEPs.
At QS, Ms Labrie believes the economic update would be a good time for the government to increase its offer to public sector workers.
“At the rate at which state bail has been rejected in recent days, it has clearly been an insult to public servants. With the rising cost of living, they were not at all happy. Then I honestly understand them,” she emphasizes.
Quebec is offering all public servants a 10.3% salary increase over five years, with a one-time lump sum of $1,000 paid out in the first year. In addition, there is an amount of 3% reserved for state priorities related to work organization, ie differentiated offers.
Unions called the offer “ridiculous” and argued that the 10.3% wage increase would not cover the expected rise in inflation. The government rejects this argument as it presents its offer as equivalent to 14.8% including the $1,000 and the differentiated offers.
The PQ also believes that the government should offer more to public sector workers.
“If we continue to reduce their ability to cope with inflation and the cost of living, it is clear that we are sending an extremely negative signal,” says Mr Arseneau. And at this point, how can we hope to rebuild the healthcare system, the education system and essentially the civil service? »
The issue of public transport funding will also be closely watched by the various political parties when Minister Girard presents his update in Quebec on Tuesday morning.