Quebec Elections :: December 2008

Quebec Election 2008

I.What is a provincial government responsible for?

II. Political parties in Quebec :: Who are they? What are their policies?

III. Post-Secondary Education in this Election

IV. The Fiscal Imbalance & Transfer Payments

V. Places to go for more information:

A general election has been called in Quebec for December 8th. You can vote if:

– You are a Canadian citizen
– You are at least 18 years of age
– You have been residing in Quebec for at least 6 months

Even if you are originally from a different province and aren’t considered a “Quebec resident” for tuition, you can still vote if you meet the 6 month requirement. In practice this means that most 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year McGill students who are Canadian citizens are eligible to vote.

Unlike in federal elections you cannot register to vote the day of the election. You must get on the voters list ahead of time. To do so you must go to an Elections Quebec office. Registration is ongoing and continues until December 4th.

For more information about eligibility and how to register contact Elections Quebec:

www.monvote.qc.ca
1-888-353-2846

Greenpeace just released a questionnaire that they sent to the parties regarding their stances on environmental issues. It can be found here:

http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/fr/actualites/questionnaire-aux-partis

What is a provincial government responsible for?

Canada is built on a federal model, with different levels of government having different responsibilities. The Canadian constitution gives exclusive jurisdiction to provincial governments in the following areas:

– Healthcare – Social Assistance
– Education – Municipalities
– Transportation – Infrastructures

Other areas of jurisdiction are shared with the federal government :

– Environment – Immigration – Agriculture

Finally, some areas are exclusive to the federal government

– Employment Insurance – Banking
– National Defense

Political parties in Quebec :: Who are they? What are their policies?

Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ)
www.plq.org
Leader : Jean Charest
Currently Quebec’s Premier

The Liberal Party of Quebec has been in power since 2003, and was elected to form a minority government in 2007. The PLQ is a federalist party. In the 1960’s they were the main architects of Quebec’s modern state, creating institutions such as the public education system. Since Jean Charest became the leader of the party, it has taken a more anti-interventionist, neo-liberal position while at the same time maintaining a socially liberal outlook. Many of the policies they have put in place have aimed to reduce the size of the State and leave a greater place to the free market. Following this economic perspective, the PLQ has repeatedly cut taxes, removing about $950 million annually of funds for the Quebec government.

Action Démocratique du Québec (ADQ)
www.adq.qc.ca
Leader : Mario Dumont

The ADQ has formed the official opposition since the last Quebec election. They are to the right of the PLQ, and the ADQ is often seen as the provincial equivalent of the Conservative Party of Canada. As a staunch advocate of the free market and non-interventionism, the ADQ wants to reduce the role of the government in the economy. To this end, the ADQ defends the idea of a flat tax instead of the progressive taxation system that we currently have in Quebec. The ADQ also supports a greater presence of the private sector in the health care system, as well as higher tuition and electricity fees. The ADQ has also stated that it thinks the environment shouldn’t be an impediment to economic growth

Parti Québécois (PQ)
www.pq.org
Leader : Pauline Marois

The PQ is a nationalist party that supports Quebec sovereignty; i.e. separation from Canada. It also generally presents itself as a social-democratic party, but since the mid-1990’s it has started to turn more to the right. It is the party which put in place a zero-deficit policy in the mid 90’s, and also imposed a freeze in the minimum wage. Lately, the PQ has softened its means to achieve Quebec sovereignty, which previously was “by holding a referendum in the first mandate” replacing it with a “national conversation”. The PQ wants to draft and adopt a Quebec constitution and create a new Quebec citizenship.

Québec Solidaire (QS)
www.quebecsolidaire.net
Spokespeople : Françoise David and Amir Khadir

QS presents itself as a progressive alternative to existing parties. Founded in 2005, QS defines itself as a left-wing, environmentalist, feminist, pro-peace, pluralistic, democratic party. It is also in favour of Quebec sovereignty. In terms of health care, it supports the creation of a public institution in charge of acquiring, developing and producing pharmaceutical products with the aim to curb skyrocketing health care costs. QS supports increased protection of Quebec’s water and opposes its exportation. In regards to education, QS wants to reduce the number of students per class, and progressively abolish subsidies to private schools as well as tuition fees. On the economic front, QS wants to make the current taxation system more progressive by raising the taxes of the better-off.

Green Party of Quebec (PVQ)
www.pvq.qc.ca
Leader : Guy Rainville

The PVQ is a coalition of people of different social and political backgrounds who wish to promote sustainable development. It proposes to achieve this by taxing harmful products such as pesticides, excessive packaging and domestic waste. Socially, the PVQ wants to bring forth a guaranteed minimum income program, completely free elementary and secondary education, but index postsecondary tuition fees while increasing financial aid. The PVQ does not oppose the presence of the private sector in universities, but does call for more transparency. As of the publication of this pamphlet, the PVQ has no position on the issues of free trade, Quebec sovereignty, gender equality or the role of the private sector in the health care system.

Post-Secondary Education in this Election

Universities in Quebec are facing a lot of problems. The education system is chronically underfunded, universities’ independence is under attack, and tuition fees are going up.

So where do the parties stand?

The Liberal Party of Quebec increased tuition fees for all students in the Spring of 2008. In 2012, tuition fees will have increased by 30% for Quebec students. Also, the PLQ has completely deregulated international tuition fees, meaning that Quebec universities are free to set international tuition fees at the level they choose. Before the election was called, they had also presented legislation that would curtail universities’ independence

The Action Démocratique du Québec wishes to increase tuition fees, but has not yet made clear by how much. Their 2008 Platform says nothing about university funding, tuition fees, or student aid.

The Parti Québécois is promising to keep tuition fees for Quebec students frozen until a summit on postsecondary education funding is held. However Pauline Marois, the PQ leader, has stated that she believes tuition fees should be hiked. The PQ is also proposing to offer students the option of paying their tuition after they finish their studies.

Québec Solidaire wants to reinvest in the education system and progressively eliminate tuition fees. They also propose to change student loans into student bursaries, and make professional stages paid.

The Green Party of Quebec wants to get rid of tuition in the long term, but for the short term they will to raise tuition by the rate of inflation.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…?
Free tuition in Quebec colleges and universities would cost $550 million. The latest 1% tax cut by the Charest government cost the State $950 million, or twice the cost of free tuition. Also, the progressive reduction of the capital gains tax cost $2 billion a year. Combined, these two fiscal measures cost 6 times free tuition!

The Fiscal Imbalance & Transfer Payments

Often provincial parties speak of fiscal imbalance and call for increases in federal transfers. What are they referring to?

There is a fiscal imbalance because the provincial fields of jurisdiction require much more money than the federal ones, despite the fact that the provinces don’t have that much more money to work with than the federal government. This reality is made worse by the fact that the federal government has unilaterally cut back its traditional funding of key social services.

In the mid-1990’s, the Canadian government decided to balance the budget, cut taxes, and pay down the national debt all at once. This was done by cutting back its spending on important fields of provincial jurisdiction, in particular health care and education. Because of this, provinces ended up cash-strapped and with insufficient resources to meet their responsibilities. Increasing tuition and crumbling lecture hall are very tangible results of this fiscal imbalance.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…?

Between 2001 and 2004, federal transfers in Quebec have been reduced by 1.8 billion dollars.

Places to go for more information:

The Radio-Canada election coverage can be found here:
http://elections.radio-canada.ca/elections/quebec2008/laCourse.shtml

The CBC special election coverage can be found here:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/quebecvotes2008/

Articles in La Presse relating to the election can be found here:
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/actualites/elections-provinciales/

Elections Quebec has created a special website for young people:
www.pourquojevote.qc.ca