The questioning is the same, whether you are a politician or a reader: when the sun reappears and the holidays come up, is it better to opt for light choices to clear your mind or take advantage of space? rediscovered mentality to tackle more complex subjects or the great classics for which time is always lacking?
For our Quebec parliamentarians, the summer period is a well-deserved moment of rest, but also an opportunity to take stock and plan for the future. Exactly, under what auspices are we starting the holidays this year? How do you view the path traveled and, above all, the challenges that will fill the second half of 2023?
While the job market is gradually falling elsewhere in Canada, Quebec is maintaining incredible vigor and a historically low unemployment rate. In addition, as we have seen during the pandemic, and again recently with the forest fire crisis, Quebec knows how to react to the crises it faces and demonstrates great economic and social resilience.
Our public finances are not to be outdone and remain enviable in many respects under the circumstances.
Of course, some challenges remain. Inflation continues to be a problem, the labor shortage is not abating, access to housing is starving and our public services are under severe strain. Québec must also step up its environmental efforts and succeed in adapting to climate change. The battery line, as impressive as it is, won’t be enough to get the job done. We will need two simultaneous industrial revolutions to boost our productivity and decarbonize our economy. All this while our energy surpluses, the hidden asset up our sleeve for a long time, are shrinking like a trickle.
We will therefore need solutions, and quickly! Over the next few weeks there will be many important consultations to set in motion some of the necessary changes.
Quebec is currently undertaking major consultation exercises on the future of our immigration policies and our energy future. A robust bill is also expected this fall, in order to modernize the legislation to allow us to be more agile in the energy transition and the management of our collective consumption. The business community has expectations in this regard that it regularly expresses to us. It will have to be more part of the government’s consultations, since, like individuals, businesses are also major consumers of energy.
Another bill is expected shortly to bring flexibility and productivity to the construction industry. Not to mention that we are still waiting for the government’s housing action plan and the reform of our professional training system, announced a long time ago. These are structuring projects which, in time, will change our daily lives and which deserve the attention of society as a whole.
Government negotiators will also be very busy, as union pressure tactics will probably begin this fall as part of the renewal of collective agreements for civil servants, but also for employees of the networks supporting the main missions of the State, namely the education and health.
Quebec must also return to negotiate with Ottawa envelopes approaching one billion dollars annually to fund labor market support measures in order to hopefully meet part of our labor needs.
The challenges ahead are therefore enormous and the expectations high, to land all these crucial issues for socio-economic circles. In the meantime, let’s take the opportunity to recharge the batteries before getting down to business, because if you think summer will be hot, wait until you see autumn!