The word that begins with a P

Finance ministers may be number cracks, but they can also be picky with choice of words.

After the liberal Carlos Leitão who insisted (without much success) that we talk about budgetary austerity rather than austerity, now the Caquist Eric Girard prefers to speak of scarcity rather than a shortage of manpower, the enemy number one right now. Nowhere in its mini-budget presented on Thursday does the hated word appear which begins with P.

But whatever the vocabulary, the problem remains the same: there is a lack of arms in Quebec. There is a lack of nurses, teachers, psychologists, DPJ workers, construction workers, larks.

If Quebec wants to continue to catch up and achieve the same standard of living as Ontario within 15 years, as the Coalition futur Quebec (CAQ) wishes, we must roll up our sleeves.

This is a famous challenge since Quebec is aging. People of working age (15 to 64), who represented 69% of the population in 2009, will be down to 60% in 2034.

So it will not be a pie for employers who already have all the hardship in the world to recruit. There were 220,000 vacant positions last August. And the numbers are only going up.

But that’s good news, because the exceptional economic recovery in Quebec made it possible to halve the forecast deficit, which gives the government leeway to act.

Let’s rejoice: the economy will rebound by 6.5% in Quebec this year, or 2.3 points more than expected, which is more than in all of Canada (5%), in the United States (6% ) and elsewhere in the world (5.8%).

Hat ! This is proof that the strict containment measures that Quebecers respected during the pandemic are ultimately paying off.

This allows the government to release 2.9 billion over five years to fight against the scarcity of labor.

On the menu, scholarships in sectors facing a significant shortage of workers, such as health, education, childcare, engineering and information technology. Students can get up to $ 9,000 for a three-year college program and up to $ 20,000 for a four-year college program.

This should help raise the graduation rate for post-secondary studies in Quebec, which remains well below that of Ontario, especially among boys.

Except that it will take years for the measure to bear fruit, when the problem is urgent.

At the other end of the spectrum, Quebec will also offer bonuses to public service retirees who want to return to service. This premium will reach around $ 3,150 for a worker earning $ 40,000, for example. But while this measure will improve services to citizens, it will not help the private sector, which is still hungry.

But it should still be noted that the government will improve the tax credit for childcare expenses, which will mean that parents who send their children to private daycare – often because they cannot obtain a place. in CPE – will pay roughly the same price as those who have a subsidized place.

This will be fairer while waiting for Quebec to increase the number of places in childcare centers, which cannot be done with a snap of the fingers, because the waiting list has 37,000 children.

By the band, improved credit and increased child care spaces will allow parents – especially women – to return to the workforce, which will help alleviate the labor shortage.

Oh sorry ! Rather the rarity.

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