PQ moves fast on several fronts
The PQ is moving fast. Shale gas fracking is off the menu, Gentilly-2 is to be shut down and students are happy that the tuition freeze is back and Bill 78 has been cancelled. Pauline Marois is telling the business community not to worry even though, like every new government that ever comes into power, there’s less money for things than she thought.
walkerp 06:25 on 2012/09/21 Permalink
The closing of Gentilly-2 and the blocking of Shale gas exploration are huge victories for the environmental movement and are some real evidence that the PQ is a very different administration than the Liberals. I heard that they moved so fast on these decisions in order to catch their opponents off guard and get it done before the big money and lobbyists could get their claws back into the game. I am most impressed. Gentilly-2 was basically a giant pollution creator with a chance of being a real disaster waiting to happen and the Liberals mania for shale gas would have been devastating for Quebec’s environment. There are lots of fights left, but this is a big step in the right direction and says that the PQ actually has some vision other than short-term economic gain.
Bravo.
SMD 07:57 on 2012/09/21 Permalink
She also cancelled the heath tax. A busy day!
Michel 08:58 on 2012/09/21 Permalink
What’s a heath tax? No, not being a grammar Nazi, just wondering if it’s a real thing.
Also, isn’t Lucien Bouchard a lawyer representing the shale gaz industry? Thought I heard this in the winter. If so, bravo to Marois for having the ovaries to go against the eminence grise.
Kate 09:01 on 2012/09/21 Permalink
As others have observed, Marois is cutting sources of revenue, while putting moves toward things like having Bill 101 apply to a much longer list of businesses – which, whatever else it does, isn’t likely to create more jobs or revenue here.
I get a strong sense Marois knows her government won’t be able to run to term, so she wants to make a mark while she can, and make enough crowd-pleasing moves to give her a better chance at a majority government next time. A lot of this effort may be lost depending how and when her government blows up and collapses. But it may do so before she has to reinstate different forms of tuition increase and health tax to balance the books, which would be good for her election prospects next time. It will all be in the timing.
Louis 09:31 on 2012/09/21 Permalink
@Michel
The health tax (“contribution santé” or something like that) was a 200$ tax that the Liberals imposed on every citizen, whether millionaire or earning 15000 a year. It will be replaced by income tax increase for the wealthy, which might push some people out of the province according to corporate lobbies, but seems to me like the only fair way of financing the health care system, if we’re to keep it public and free.
As for Lucien Bouchard, yes, he is lawyer for the oil and gas industry, but is hardly a PQ eminence grise. He, alongside the rest of PQ’s right wing (Legault, Facal, Guy Chevrette), cut bridges with their former party.
Michel 14:48 on 2012/09/21 Permalink
@Louis,
Thanks so much for the info. I didn’t know about the health tax, although I do know that the Liberals increased the maximum of how much you have to spend yearly on medication before insurances kicks in. I used to pay around $850/year, this year it was over $1000.
I didn’t know about the burning bridges either.
Encore, merci.
Ian 15:24 on 2012/09/21 Permalink
Actually, I believe Louis meant “severed ties” instead of “cut bridges”. The French expression “brûler les ponts” directly translates into “burning your bridges” but has a more subtle meaning closer to “sever ties”. /pedant
Ephraim 09:42 on 2012/09/22 Permalink
Well, so far it appears that she’s managed to unbalance the budget even further. We have to see this first budget to see where the money is going to come from. So, what are our chances that sales tax will increase to 10.5%