The Quebec election is on Oct. 3, and for the primary time, five parties have a probability of winning not less than one seat within the 125-seat legislature. Here is where the parties stand on some major themes.
Economy and price of living
The Coalition Avenir Québec is promising to chop income taxes by a complete of two.5 per cent over 10 years, with a primary cut affecting to the 2 lowest tax brackets in 2023. The party can also be promising to chop cheques this 12 months for as much as $600 for about 6.4 million Quebecers. Party leader François Legault says if re-elected, the CAQ would also spend $1.8 billion on social and inexpensive housing in the subsequent mandate.
The Quebec Liberal party is promising to chop income taxes for the 2 lowest tax brackets and lift them for the “super wealthy.” Additionally it is committing to abolishing the Quebec sales tax on the primary $4,000 of annual electricity bills and on certain basic necessities reminiscent of toothpaste, shampoo and certain medications.
Québec solidaire is promising an annual wealth tax starting at 0.1 per cent for assets price $1 million, as much as 1.5 per cent for assets price $100 million or more. The party can also be proposing an inheritance tax of 35 per cent on assets over $1 million or more. Québec solidaire can also be promising to temporarily suspend the sales tax on items reminiscent of food, medication and clothing, and it says it’ll increase the minimum wage to $18 an hour.
The Conservative Party of Quebec is promising to chop income taxes — retroactively to the 2022 fiscal 12 months — to 13 per cent from 15 per cent for the primary $46,295 after which cut it to 18 per cent from 20 per cent for income between $46,295 and $92,580. The party is committing to suspend the provincial tax on gasoline. The Conservatives are also promising to chop the sales tax on used consumer goods.
The Parti Québécois is promising to distribute one-time “purchasing power allocations” of $1,200 for individuals with income lower than $50,000 and of $750 for individuals who make between $50,000 and $80,000.
Quebec identity
The CAQ is promising not to carry an independence referendum; it says its project for Quebec is inside Canada — despite the very fact the party has nominated several high-profile sovereigntists as candidates. The CAQ says it’ll invest as much as $40 million toward 20 research chairs in Quebec studies, and the party can also be committing to speculate one other $40 million to revive and maintain religious buildings across the province.
The Liberals are promising to gut the principal sections of Quebec’s secularism law — generally known as Bill 21 — to permit teachers to wear religious symbols at work and to remove the usage of the notwithstanding clause that shields the law from court challenges. The party says it’ll also reform the CAQ’s language law — Bill 96 — as a way to allow all francophones and allophones the appropriate to attend English junior colleges and take away the requirement that immigrants communicate with the federal government in French inside six months of arriving.
Québec solidaire guarantees that if elected it will immediately launch an assembly to ascertain the structure of an independent Quebec nation. The final result of those consultations could be put to a referendum. The party can also be committing to abolishing the position of lieutenant-governor, who’s the representative of the King within the province.
The Conservatives are promising to cancel Bill 96, which they are saying is divisive and targets the anglophone community. The party won’t touch the secularism law, Bill 21, nonetheless.
The PQ is committed to holding a referendum on Quebec independence inside its first mandate; it is usually promising to call a minister liable for Quebec sovereignty. The party desires to table a recent, tougher language law, which can include measures to stop all non-anglophones from attending English-language junior colleges.
Environment
The CAQ is promising to chop greenhouse gases by 37 per cent, compared with 1990 levels, by 2030 and for the province to have net-zero emissions by 2050. Legault says the one option to reach those goals is to have more hydroelectric dams, and he says he’ll order the province’s hydro utility to investigate which rivers may be dammed.
The Liberals are promising to chop greenhouse gases by 45 per cent, compared with 1990 levels, by 2030. The party says it wants $100 billion of private and non-private investment by 2050 in order that the province becomes carbon neutral by that point. The Liberals are promising to create a recent state-owned corporation to co-ordinate the event of the province’s green hydrogen industry. The party says it’ll make public transit free for college students and other people aged 65 and over.
Québec solidaire is promising to chop greenhouse gases by 55 per cent, compared with 1990 levels, by 2030 and to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. The party says it’ll impose a 15 per cent surtax on the acquisition of latest cars it considers highly polluting. Québec solidaire says it’ll create an electrical train rail system across the province, construct a “vast network” of electrical automotive charging stations and ban gas-powered automotive sales by 2030.
The Conservatives haven’t any goal to scale back greenhouse gas emissions. As a substitute, the party wants Quebec to develop its fossil fuel resources, reminiscent of shale gas, for export to Europe. The Conservatives are promising to create a carbon exchange program, to relaunch a liquid natural gas project within the Saguenay region and to progressively remove subsidies for electric vehicles.
The PQ is promising to chop greenhouse gases by 45 per cent, compared with 1990 levels, by 2030. The party desires to impose a 25 per cent tax on the “excess profits” of oil and gas corporations and it desires to launch a provincial competition bureau to research “cartels” within the gasoline industry.
Immigration
The CAQ is promising to keep up immigration levels at roughly 50,000 newcomers a 12 months, stating that the province has reached its capability to integrate immigrants and teach them French. The CAQ is promising that if re-elected, it would offer incentives for more immigrants to maneuver to Quebec City and other regions outside Montreal.
The Liberals are proposing an initial immigration goal of 70,000 people a 12 months if elected and to work with individual regions to find out their real immigration needs. The party says it wants to achieve full control over the temporary foreign employee program from the federal government and to extend budgets for French-language training.
Québec solidaire is promising to extend annual immigration to between 60,000 and 80,000 people a 12 months. The party can also be proposing to welcome more refugees and other people fleeing climate change-related problems of their home countries.
The Conservatives say the province should accept immigrants based on their “civilizational compatibility” — whether or not they accept values reminiscent of equality between men and girls and acceptance toward the LGBTQ community — and based on whether or not they can speak French. The party would lower the variety of immigrants accepted every 12 months until the economy is sufficiently strong.
The PQ desires to cut immigration to 35,000 people a 12 months, arguing that immigrants don’t solve labour shortages. The party wants to make sure all economic immigrants to the province have a knowledge of French. The PQ is promising to extend funding for integrating immigrants, and it wants half of all immigrants to settle within the regions outside big cities.
Health care
The CAQ is promising to open by 2025 two private medical centres — one in Montreal and the opposite in Quebec City — that will offer health services entirely subsidized by the general public insurance system. The party isn’t any longer promising that every Quebecer can have access to a family doctor — a failed promise from the 2018 election. As a substitute, it will launch a digital health platform that will direct people to the appropriate health-care skilled, reminiscent of doctors, nurses or pharmacists.
The Liberals say they’re committed to offering a family doctor to all Quebecers, they usually are promising that folks with chronic illnesses, seniors and other people with mental health issues shall be on the front of the road. The party is promising to spend an additional $6 billion on health care. Additionally it is committing to improving working conditions for nurses by increasing staff-patient ratios.
Québec solidaire is promising to launch a universal dental care program that will fully cover costs for people under 18 and, for adults, would cover 80 per cent of teeth cleansing costs and 60 per cent of costs for procedures reminiscent of root canals and fillings. The party can also be committing to create a state-owned pharma corporation that will produce vaccines and medications. The party also desires to launch 24-7 community clinics across the province, which could be the general public’s entry point into the health-care network.
The Conservatives would encourage Quebecers to hunt care within the private health system if they can’t be treated in the general public sector inside an inexpensive time; all care could be paid for by the federal government. The party also desires to remove the law prohibiting doctors from having to choose from the private and non-private health-care systems and permit them to work in each.
The PQ is promising to speculate massively in home take care of seniors and triple the variety of hours of care offered inside 4 years. The party opposes adding more private elements into the health system and is as a substitute committing to attracting and retaining more health-care employees by improving working conditions in the general public system.
