Prime Minister François Legault is not closing the door on the idea of exempting the construction of rental housing from the provincial sales tax (QST), as the Trudeau government announced Thursday for the GST, but there are other more urgent measures that can be taken, according to him.
“There are also other measures that we are looking at very closely, which could perhaps have more effectiveness in the short term,” replied Mr. Legault at a press scrum in Montreal on Friday.
On video | How does François Legault plan to facilitate access to property?
Measurements in November
Speaking of effectiveness, the Prime Minister specifies that he is referring to measures which would have a more rapid effect.
“We really want to look at people who need immediate help,” said Mr. Legault. So, in that sense, yes, it may be interesting in the long term to encourage construction to remove the QST, but the fact remains that there is also a priority in the short term, to help people. »
François Legault did not want to comment on the measures studied. The government will reveal its intentions in the fall economic update scheduled for November.
“We are in the process with Eric Girard, the Minister of Finance, of looking at several scenarios to help, among other things, housing, that there be more housing construction, but also financially help people who have experienced big increases of rent. »
And the cost of groceries
The Prime Minister presented this approach in contrast to the intervention of the Trudeau government which intends to put pressure on large Canadian grocers over food inflation.
“I come back to the question which was proposed to receive the five food chains. Yes, it can produce results, but tomorrow morning it will not put money in the pockets of citizens who have difficulty paying for their groceries or paying their rent. »
On Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invited the provinces to follow the federal example by also eliminating their sales tax on the construction of rental housing, a promise his party made in 2015.
In the hours leading up to the announcement, members of the governments of Ontario, British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador reportedly indicated their intention to follow suit.
“Perfect Storm”
At a time when Quebec is experiencing an unprecedented increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness, Mr. Legault defended his government’s intervention, but recognized that more needed to be done.
Cities are lobbying for more support from the Legault government while a report from the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec (INSPQ), unveiled this week, shows that the number of homeless people increased by 44% from 2018 to 2022.
François Legault affirms that his government is “investing a lot” and that it has “an ambitious plan”, but, faced with “a perfect storm”, Quebec will have to do more. “Along with drug use problems, there are significant mental health issues. It’s difficult to keep up with the increasing needs, so we’re serving more people today. »