General Council of the PLQ | The Liberals want a new budgetary “rigor” plan

(Bromont) As they celebrate Saturday the legacy of former Prime Minister Philippe Couillard, whose first two years of his mandate in government from 2014 to 2018 were marked by budgetary restrictions, the Liberals are concerned about the current state of public finances and are calling for a new budgetary “rigor” plan.

Gathered in general council this Saturday and Sunday in Bromont, activists of the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ) will vote for a framework resolution which prioritizes the increase in “productivity”, but also the consolidation of public finances, in the context where the latest Quebec budget forecasts a record deficit of 11 billion for the year 2024-2025.

“François Legault is someone who is absolutely incapable of making difficult choices. He doesn’t make those difficult decisions. He is throwing money left and right without having any real vision,” said Pontiac MP André Fortin.

Former minister under the government of Philippe Couillard, who is present in Estrie to meet liberal activists who are organizing a cocktail for him on Saturday evening, Mr. Fortin is proud to applaud the achievements of the former prime minister.

“As soon as you leave a position like that of prime minister, there is always a short period when Quebecers want to try something else. It happened to Mr. Couillard as it has happened to many prime ministers in the history of Quebec. But after a while, we remember our successes,” he said, citing as an example the REM linking Montreal to its South Shore.

The parliamentary leader of the official opposition, Monsef Derraji, also believes that Quebecers do not have bad memories of the government of Philippe Couillard, who lost power in 2018 in a crushing defeat after just one mandate. In his first two years in power, in 2014-2015 and 2015-2016, he limited the growth of mission spending to 1.4% and 1.1% respectively.

“We created wealth and managed public finances well. Public services, end of 2018 [comparativement] to today, were in a much better position. Look at emergency waiting times and access to the first line [en santé]. No one today is going to tell me that access to the first line has improved with François Legault,” said Mr. Derraji.

By proposing to its members that a liberal government present “during the first year of its mandate a plan to return to budgetary balance,” is the PLQ preparing a new period of austerity?

“The Liberal Party has always been the party of rigor and good management of public finances. What we are going to promise Quebecers is to take public finances seriously. […] The credit card is full,” he said.

For interim chief Marc Tanguay, “rigor is the key word”. The resolution which will be voted on on Saturday provides, among other things, that “the plan preserves essential services provided by the government of Quebec, particularly in education and health”.

Show of force for Milliard

At the opening of the general council of the PLQ, around twenty young supporters of the current president and CEO of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce of Quebec, Charles Milliard, from a “movement” bringing together nearly 80 people, made a show of force in order to encourage him to enter the race for party leadership, as The Press revealed it on Saturday.

A few months ago during a Liberal general council in Drummondville, Frédéric Beauchemin, who does not hide his interest in the leadership of the party, was accompanied in all his travels by an order of young people who supported him. Where are they today?

“There are 1.1 million young people between 16 and 25 years old in Quebec. If we apply the percentage [des intentions de vote] that we had in the last survey, that’s 185,000. There are plenty of young people for everyone,” he said upon his arrival at the general council on Saturday.

Regarding the recovery of public finances, Mr. Beauchemin asserts that the Liberals must engage in reflection to increase wealth creation and productivity, rather than thinking about cuts. The income column, “this is the most important element,” also said Monsef Derraji.

Furthermore, as part of the tribute they are paying to Philippe Couillard later in the day, Saturday, former prime ministers and ex-liberal leaders will be present in Bromont, notably Jean Charest, Daniel Johnson, Dominique Anglade and others.