“Our priority is to protect our economy, our businesses, and the jobs of Quebecers,” said Stéphane Bisaillon, the candidate representing the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) in the Huntingdon riding.
Along with funding to help businesses weather the trade war with the United States, Bisaillon said the CAQ is focused on helping businesses prosper. “We are using every tool at the government’s disposal to buy more from Quebec, protect our jobs, and make our economy less dependent on the United States,” Bisaillon explained.
He identified the creation of a new team led by Investissement Québec International, which helps small and medium-sized businesses find buyers elsewhere in Canada and replace U.S. suppliers, as an example of an initiative put in place to strengthen the province’s economic resilience.
Bisaillon is also very supportive of “buy local” campaigns, which help local businesses and producers. He explained that agriculture has always been important for the CAQ, which has committed an additional $56 million investment to defend supply management, ensure the continuation of the carbon exchange rebate, enhance supports for farm succession, and double the funding for the Fonds d’investissement pour la relève agricole to $100 million.
In terms of healthcare and education, the CAQ has committed to increasing the Plan québécois des infrastructures (PQI) to $180 billion, of which 75 per cent will be allocated toward maintaining existing infrastructure, including school facilities and healthcare institutions.
The student population in Quebec has increased by 100,000 since 2018. During this time, the province has built 100 new schools and expanded more than 200 buildings. “We have more than doubled the budget for school infrastructure,” he said, noting teachers’ salaries were also increased, and classroom aides were introduced.
“We must make decisions that allow our residents to stay in their communities, raise their families there, work there, and grow old there,” he said, noting that along with infrastructure investments, the CAQ will commit $1 billion for home care support to allow more people to age at home.
“We must give our region the means to thrive and grow, without ever losing what makes it so rich.”