Hope for better access to health services
The Minister of Health of Quebec, Christian Dubé, continues to erect his “Health Plan”, one block at a time. This will happen, in 2023, by the split, into two parts, of the Ministry of Health, with the creation of a new agency which will manage the activities of the network. The minister also intends to create two private hospitals, in Montreal and Quebec, and we will monitor the repercussions of the opening, in Montreal, of new clinics for specialized nurses. To date, 650,037 people are still on the waiting list for a family doctor. But there is progress, rejoiced the Minister at the beginning of December, since 388,284 more people have access to a group of doctors thanks to the new Frontline access window (GAP). Christian Dubé’s big challenge in 2023 will be to manage impatience.
Decision of the Court of Appeal on Bill 21
The adventure before the courts of “Law 21” has only just begun. After pleading before the Superior Court, opponents of the Act respecting the secularism of the state did so this fall before the Quebec Court of Appeal. The decision of the court of second instance is awaited: will the court invalidate more provisions of the CAQ law? Will she agree with Quebec, which is appealing the decision to exclude English school boards from the scope of the law? The judgment is expected in 2023. But the game will not be over. Federal Justice Minister David Lametti has already announced that his government will participate in a possible challenge to the Supreme Court of Canada. It remains to be seen what he intends to do with “Law 96” reforming the Charter of the French language.
Multi-year immigration planning
Immigration will continue to be an important topic of discussion over the next year. The government must hold consultations to determine Québec’s reception capacity for the years to come. This exercise takes place every four years. In December, the Minister of Immigration, Christine Fréchette, announced that Quebec would welcome approximately 50,000 people in 2023. During the election campaign, faced with business people who complained of the shortage of labor , Prime Minister François Legault had declared that it would be “suicidal” to welcome more. He then linked any eventual increase to the requirement that the proportion of French-speaking immigrants be higher. Mr. Legault wants all economic immigrants selected by the Quebec government to be French-speaking by 2026.
Eyes turned towards Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne
A by-election will be called by the end of May in the Montreal riding of Saint-Henri–Sainte-Anne, due to the departure of the former leader of the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ), Dominique Anglade. If the government has still not announced the date of the poll, Quebec solidaire (QS) wasted no time. Next Tuesday, Clélia Sève, coordinator of environmental projects, and Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, immigration lawyer, will face each other during the nomination vote to determine who will be the united candidate for the partial. During the general elections of October 3, Mr. Cliche-Rivard wore the colors of QS and finished second, winning nearly 28% of the votes in this riding. The other main political parties have still not announced any candidates.
Expanding Medical Assistance in Dying
At the end of the parliamentary session last June, the bill on the expansion of medical assistance in dying (MAD) could not be adopted for lack of time. The legislative text aimed in particular to regulate the advance requests for MA for people with serious and incurable diseases leading to incapacity, such as Alzheimer’s. The file, which was first led by Christian Dubé, Minister of Health, is taken over by the new Minister for Health and Seniors, Sonia Bélanger. The latter says she wants to table a new version of the bill during the next period of parliamentary work. “We want to continue the process in a cross-partisan and collaborative manner,” said Ms.me Belanger, Sarah Bigras.
Hydro-Québec in a race against time
Hydro-Québec is in a race against time to meet demand, after years of surplus electricity. By 2050, the state-owned company must add between 100 and 150 TWh to its capacity in order to achieve carbon neutrality. However, its production will be insufficient from 2027. During the election campaign, François Legault proposed to relaunch the construction of hydroelectric dams, works that take ten years to materialize. But in the meantime, he has placed himself at the center of the trade-offs that will determine which new companies will receive the precious electrons. The committee he chairs for this purpose will get to the heart of the matter in the coming year. Through its decisions, the government’s priorities will be further defined.
UMQ Homelessness Summit
The Union of Municipalities of Quebec (UMQ) is committed to holding a summit on homelessness during the year 2023, when the bright red alarm signals are flashing around this issue. The pandemic, coupled with a housing shortage and the meteoric rise in prices, has pushed the less well-off to the streets, so much so that homeless people are now appearing in cities and territories hitherto spared from the phenomenon. Resources to relieve mental illness, overwhelmed by the scale of the current crisis, are also crying out for help. This will be the first time in the centenary history of the UMQ that it organizes a summit specifically devoted to homelessness, a reality that is gaining ground, even in the regions, and which taints the conscience of all societies. rich.
Negotiations in the public service
Another highlight of the economic news in 2023, the Legault government is engaged in difficult negotiations for the renewal of the collective agreements of more than 600,000 employees in the public and parapublic sectors, which expire on March 31, in a situation 2023 offering a bitter-tasting cocktail of labor shortages, stratospheric inflation and recession. The employer party sets its offer at 13% over five years. The increases are 3% in the first year and 1.5% for each of the following four years, for a total of 9%. To this is added 2.5% over five years according to government priorities and a lump sum of $1,000 the first year. Beyond wage clauses, Quebec places the organization of work and the improvement of services at the heart of negotiations. On the union side, the priority is to protect the purchasing power of members.