While small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Quebec are seeing their electricity bills increase by 6.5%, interim Liberal leader Marc Tanguay is asking the government of François Legault to simply cancel this increase.
” [Cette hausse] adds to the burden of our entrepreneurs and our SMEs who are facing rising costs, pandemic-related debt and labor shortages,” said Mr. Tanguay, in an interview with The Canadian Press.
“We, what we are asking very clearly, is to cancel the increase for both individuals and SMEs,” he adds.
The increases in electricity prices have been effective since Saturday. On February 15, the National Assembly passed Bill 2, which notably allows the price indexation rate of Hydro-Québec’s domestic distribution rates to be capped at 3%. This cap does not apply to SMEs.
“I underline the inconsistency of the government which says: “For individuals it will be 3%, but SMEs will manage with inflation at 6.5%”. And that, we denounce it, ” castigates Marc Tanguay.
He believes this will also have an impact on consumers and on inflation. “Seventy-three percent of SMEs are reduced to transferring their additional costs into their prices,” he says.
The Minister of Economy, Pierre Fitzgibbon, opened the door on Friday to help for SMEs that will need it; nothing to convince the Liberal leader, however.
“SMEs are at the end of their rope and we see that the super Minister of the Economy, Pierre Fitzgibbon, washes his hands of it,” he says.
The increase is also criticized by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), which is asking the government to cap the indexation of electricity rates at 3% for SMEs and households. There are fears that the increased tariffs will weaken the economy at a time when several SMEs are emerging from the pandemic.
Marc Tanguay reiterated that electricity rates should be frozen and the power to set future increases should be given back to the Régie de l’énergie du Québec.