We, members of the G15+ collective, want to bring about a society that places the well-being of the population at the heart of individual and collective decisions. We come from a unique culture that gives pride of place to consultation and social cohesion, making Quebec a distinct society in North America. By focusing on social dialogue, we are proposing a real transformation of our society.
Posted at 1:00 p.m.
The challenges are multiple and on all fronts. Think of the intensification of climate change and the erosion of biodiversity, the housing crisis or the shortage of labour. At a time when the world is going through upheavals that spare no one, we believe that it is by working together that we will be able to transform these challenges into opportunities for Québec.
In March 2020, in response to the Quebec government’s call to prepare for the post-COVID-19 era, economic, social, labor and environmental leaders came together to form the G15+ collective and formulated proposals in favor of a united, prosperous and green recovery1.
Drawing on the expertise and diversity of our members, we advocate for transformation that goes beyond gross domestic product growth and job creation:
– a Québec that places the economy at the service of the quality of life of its population. A society that values both skills and a taste for innovation, solidarity and the inclusion of all its talents, cultural heritage, sustainability and resilience;
– a Quebec that encourages sustainable consumption and production. This balance, safe and fair for current and future generations, must allow our businesses to prosper, our citizens to flourish and our society to respect planetary limits;
– a Québec that adapts to allow everyone to live in healthy, sustainable and affordable living environments, close to essential services, jobs, businesses, cultural institutions and sustainable transportation. Decent housing, easy medical care, adequate education, healthy and sufficient food and sober travel should be the objectives pursued by Quebec society.
We believe that it is more necessary than ever to focus on the interdependence of environmental, social and economic issues in order to place the well-being and quality of life of the population at the heart of our collective decisions and our public policies.
We appeal to political representatives of all levels, to the economic community, to civil society and to the entire population, to continue the dialogue to advance the vision of a cohesive, prosperous and green society.
* Co-signatories: Sabaa Khan, Executive Director Quebec/Atlantic of the David Suzuki Foundation; Béatrice Alain, Director General of the Chantier de l’économie sociale; Denis Bolduc, General Secretary of the Quebec Federation of Labour; Colleen Thorpe, Executive Director of Équiterre; Christian Savard, Managing Director of Vivre en Ville; Geneviève Morin, President and CEO of Fondaction; Gabrielle Desbiens, President of the Network of Regional Cultural Councils of Quebec; Sylvain Gariépy, President of the Order of Urban Planners of Quebec; Éric Cimon, General Manager of the Association of Technical Resource Groups of Quebec; Denis Leclerc, President and CEO of Écotech Québec; Charles Milliard, President and CEO of the Federation of Quebec Chambers of Commerce; Natalie Pouliot, Executive Director of the Coalition of Community Organizations for Workforce Development; Martin Vaillancourt, Director General of the National Grouping of Regional Environmental Councils of Quebec; Emna Braham, Director General of the Institut du Québec (research partner); Annie Chaloux, professor at the School of Applied Politics at the University of Sherbrooke; François Delorme, economist and lecturer in environmental economics at the School of Management of the University of Sherbrooke; Leïla Copti, President of COPTICOM, Strategies and Public Relations