Legault promises to continue to be “generous” with Quebecers
François Legault remains premier of Quebec.
“From the spring of 2023, we will lower taxes and continue to put money back in the pockets of Quebecers,” promised Premier François Legault in his opening speech on Wednesday.
< p>Quoting Winston Churchill, he said “it's the courage to carry on that counts”, and assured that his government would continue its work to balance the province's budget, while being “generous” towards the citizens. In addition to recalling the sending of checks in the coming weeks, the Prime Minister announced a tax credit of $2,000 for seniors aged 70 and over and a tax reduction as of next year.
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The premier is also counting on the dedicated and efficient competence of the province's public service. “I have seen civil servants working in solution mode for the past two years. It's too easy to break sugar on the backs of public servants, and I say a huge thank you.” This thank you comes as the Syndicat de la fonction publique et parapublique du Québec (SFPQ) said earlier on Wednesday that public service salaries are still too low compared to their municipal and federal counterparts.
The Prime Minister’s opening speech presents his priorities and those of the government for his second term.
Prosperity and ecological transition
For the Legault government, energy transition and carbon neutrality by 2050 remain provincial objectives. “It's gigantic. It's going to take a lot from us, but it’s an exciting project, and we have to get on board!”
To achieve this transition, François Legault plans to increase Hydro-Québec's energy capacity to 100 terawatt hours by 2050, requiring the construction of a “second Hydro-Québec” and new hydroelectric dams within a limited time frame. “All over the world, people are wondering how to replace nuclear and coal. Solar and wind power are not enough, and we will have to make important decisions following a societal debate on how to find this additional and necessary energy.
François Legault adds that in terms of transportation, his second mandate will see the appearance of structuring projects promoting public transportation. “The blue line project in Montreal is progressing, the SRB Pie-IX is in operation, the REM de l’Est project is progressing and we want to extend it to Lanaudière. We can bet on prosperity while being respectful of the environment”.
He adds that a new contract with the State of New York supposed to remove one million cars from the roads of Quebec will be unveiled shortly.
Worried about French
The Prime Minister ended his speech by talking about French. He insisted on the importance of the French language, its decline in Quebec, and the duty to reverse the current trend. “What would be left of us if we were to lose this wealth?” he asked the assembly.
He was concerned that French, as “the language spoken in the house, between 2001 and 2021, increased from 82.3 to 77.5% in Quebec”. He specified that the case of Montreal was the most worrying. “In Montreal, we went from 54.6% to 48.3%. We have fallen below the 50% mark and it is imperative for our nation to put an end to this decline. I consider that it is my first duty as head of the only French-speaking majority state to take the necessary steps to ensure the maintenance and vitality of the French language.”
He ends in these terms: “We don't must never forget that Quebec is an extraordinary place. Long live the Quebec nation!”
