Quebecers are in a good position to face inflation, estimates the Minister of Finance, as their grocery bill could climb by $ 966 next year.
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“I want to remind everyone that, overall, on average, Quebecers are in a good position. When you look at the growth in disposable income, it has exceeded inflation since the pandemic, ”commented Eric Girard.
The minister was questioned about the significant increase in the cost of the grocery basket expected next year.
“It is certain that we must help people who have less income because these people have a larger share in their basket of consumption, food, energy … This is exactly what” we did in the update [économique], with the exceptional benefit for 3.3 million Quebecers, with the tax credit for seniors in more disadvantaged situations, ”added Minister Girard.
Photo Stevens Leblanc
The Minister of Finance, Eric Girard
However, it will be necessary to “monitor the situation”, he underlines, while specifying that “inflation is the responsibility of the Bank of Canada”.
$ 2,000 to seniors, says the PLQ
The significant increase in the cost of the basket of groceries also made the opposition parties react.
The Liberal Party of Quebec would have “anticipated” the rise in inflation and offered checks for $ 2,000 to seniors aged 70 and over to deal with it, its leader, Dominque Anglade, said Thursday.
At Québec solidaire, MP Andrés Fontecilla instead pleaded for a “cocktail” of measures to support households whose electricity rates are frozen, raise the minimum wage to $ 18 / hour and temporarily double the credit of solidarity tax.
“It is not a magic solution, once again, there, but it will very quickly help families to cope with this increase in the grocery store, of everything”, he launched.
Worried about the impact of this increase on the most disadvantaged, PQ MP Pascal Bérubé proposes to set up an “indicator” to monitor the evolution of the cost of living for Quebecers.
“There are going to be difficult choices to make, a lot for the children and then the elderly single people, who do not have a network to bring them food,” he says.
Food inflation could reach as high as 7% in 2022, says the Canadian Food Price Report released on Thursday. This is a record, because in the other 11 editions, the expected increases were generally 2-4%.
– With the collaboration of Vincent Larin, Agence QMI