On September 29, the Chamber played host to Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, co-spokesperson for Québec solidaire, as part of the political discussion series organized for the 2022 Quebec elections.
Throughout September, the leaders of Quebec’s main political parties presented the city’s business community their proposals for the economic future of Quebec and Greater Montréal.
The economy and the environment seen as a whole
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois began his speech by pointing to the heart of his economic plans: the environment.
“The heart of our economic vision is, of course, the fight against climate change. That is our vision for Quebec and the Quebec economy.”
– Gabriel Nadeau Dubois, co-spokesperson for Québec solidaire
According to Québec solidaire, failing to invest in the green transition will have a major impact on the future of our economy.
“With climate change, it’s not just the glaciers melting. It’s countries’ economies that aren’t adapting. The real economic question is: what are the economic risks of failing to act now? That’s climate passivity.”
Abandon solo car use
The co-spokesperson went on to discuss automobile dependence in North America.
“We are collectively too dependent on car travel; we are collectively stuck in traffic. Our infrastructures are out of date, and that is harming our economy.”
He then explained his public transit plan, which will touch six million people.
“It is high time to make up lags when it comes to mobility. Québec solidaire will change the face of transportation in Quebec by finding practical, affordable alternatives to solo car use.”
Québec solidaire believes we need to develop metro infrastructure on the Island of Montréal, particularly in the east end of the city.
“We are proposing the most ambitious project since 1967 when the Montréal metro opened. The east end of the city needs a metro line. The area is poorly served.”
Use our resources efficiently to replace gas
Québec solidaire promises to invest a billion dollars to recover energy from residual forestry biomass, an unexploited resource in Quebec.
“The forestry biomass from logging residue represents five times the energy produced by Manic-5. And right now, it rots on the side of logging roads. It’s a waste.”
According to Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, the province has to produce more batteries for the electrification of cars.
“Even though Quebec has lithium reserves, we still depend too much on others, and we still import too much. We need to attract complete production facilities, including for fourth use, reuse, and recycling.”
Immigrants can contribute to the labour shortage
For the left-leaning party, immigrants are not a threat to the Quebec nation.
“There is a consensus: we need reinforcements; we need people. Immigration is not a magic bullet, but it is part of the solution. Immigrants are not a threat to the Quebec nation.”
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois went on to argue that the majority of economic immigrants who arrive in Quebec speak French.
“The people who come to Quebec want to contribute to the labour market; they want to learn French. The majority of economic immigrants speak French; the others want to learn.”
Measures to ensure the richest contribute more to society
Québec solidaire does not want a global tax cut, targeting all Quebecers.
“There are parties that are proposing billions of dollars in tax cuts. We know what happens when the boomerang comes back. It’s a one-way trip to austerity.”
At the same time, the party does not plan to raise taxes for the middle class and SMEs.
“Quebecers have different abilities to pay. We are not planning a tax increase for the middle class or for SMEs. We would cut taxes for those who earn under $100,000 per year.”