QUEBEC — In its first nine months in power, the Parti Québécois government has displayed zero economic vision and made a series of errors that are hurting Quebec, the provincial Liberal party leader says.
As for the Coalition Avenir Québec, it’s quick to propose “miracle solutions” to complex economic problems, then runs when it comes time to vote on matters of principle, like Bill 14, Philippe Couillard said.
“The choice for the next election is becoming clearer,” Couillard told a group of Quebec City businesspeople Friday. “We (the Liberals) are the party of the economy and we will stay the party of the economy because we know it’s with a strong economy that we can build a just and fair society.”
In one of his first major speeches since taking over the party from Jean Charest in March, Couillard stuck to familiar Liberal ground: a strong economy and a place for Quebec in Canada.
“Unfortunately, we have before us a government that does not consider the economy its main concern,” Couillard told about 200 people at a luncheon organized by the Chambre de commerce et d’industrie de Québec.
“The very essence of this government is the realization of its political objectives of separation and the independence of Quebec.”
And the one time he drew applause during the speech came when he said that for Liberals, “there is no conflict” between being proud of their Quebec identity and their Canadian citizenship.
“They complete each other and coexist,” Couillard said.
Couillard’s speech comes as he continues work to rebuild the Liberal machine before the next election.
Couillard, who still has no seat in the National Assembly, has been touring the province meeting Liberals and groups, but now is starting to sketch out his vision.
Next Friday, he will deliver a keynote speech to the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal.
The party released another policy discussion paper Friday— this one focused on economic measures — to be debated by Liberals as the party proceeds to rewrite its political program.
In the document, Couillard lists Quebec’s economic shortcomings, noting that to handle future challenges the “status quo is not the solution.”
Quebec’s debt is the highest in Canada, exports are down, the population is aging while productivity slips, it says.
In his speech, Couillard ripped the PQ for its unfocussed, scattered approach to government.
Scrapping Quebec’s investment arm, Investissement Québec, and breaking up Quebec’s economic ministries were mistakes, he said.
So was the government’s decision to drop the Liberal program to teach francophone students English earlier.
At the same time, the government’s language reforms contained in Bill 14 represent nothing more than a big pile of administrative paperwork and headaches for business, he said. The Liberals oppose the bill, while the CAQ voted for it on second reading.
One of the first things a Liberal government will do if elected is set up a commission to study and propose changes to the taxation system to make it fairer for business and citizens.