To combat the high unemployment rates, the Partis Quebecois government revealed a job creation program pledging $2 billion to be invested into the province. At a press conference on October 7, Premier Pauline Marois and Finance Minister Nicolas Marceau announced this $2 billion plan to the public, and were accused of using the plan as an election campaign, to which they immediately denied.
The $2-billion plan pledges to create more than 40,000 jobs by 2017 through incentives like tax credits and lowered electricity rates. The current plan is to allocate:
– $566 million towards infrastructure
– $516 million towards electric transit industry
– $700 million plus towards tax credits and lowered hydro rate for companies creating new jobs
The job plan has already incurred much criticism on how effective these actions will be. President of the Conseil du patronat, Quebec’s largest employers group, said, “There’s no big change here. They are good measures, but not really what we need to bring Quebec to the level we would like.”
Are lowered electricity and hydro rates and tax credits really enough incentive for companies to lengthen their payrolls and create new jobs?
Do you think the $2- billion job plan by the PQ government will work, or is it just another political campaign to win votes before an election?
Sources: “PQ Announces $2-billion Jobs Plan.” CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 7 Oct. 2013. Web. 08 Oct. 2013.
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