Quebec seeks free-trade deals with Ontario, EU
Globe and Mail
Quebec seeks free-trade deals with Ontario, EU
RHÉAL SÉGUIN
May 10, 2007
QUEBEC — Quebec’s minority government will seek a free-trade agreement with Ontario as part of Premier Jean Charest’s attempt to revive the province’s economy and regain popular support after March’s disappointing election result for his Liberal government.
In the inaugural speech outlining the priorities of the province’s first minority government in more than a century, Mr. Charest also reiterated his proposal to seek a free-trade deal with the European Union.
"We are in the process of building an interconnection with Ontario in order to export more electricity to our neighbours," the Premier said. "We will draw inspiration from this connection to lift the barriers that still hamper trade between us. We will propose that Ontario enter into a free-trade agreement with Quebec."
The deal would be similar to the one signed between Alberta and British Columbia that eliminated trade barriers between the two provinces, a Charest aide said.
At the same time, Mr. Charest hopes to persuade businesses and other political leaders to rally "behind our proposal for a new economic partnership with the European Union."
He is pushing economic development as the focus of his new mandate in an attempt to overcome voter dissatisfaction after the Liberals’ worst electoral performance to date. In the March 26 election, the party got just 33 per cent of the vote and won 48 of the 125 ridings. The setback was in part due to the Liberals’ failure to meet a 2003 campaign promise to cut taxes by $1-billion a year.
In his inaugural speech yesterday, Mr. Charest warned that he will defy the opposition parties’ objections to his latest promise to cut taxes.
The Liberals plan to take advantage of the upheaval in the Parti Québécois, sparked by the sudden resignation on Tuesday of leader André Boisclair, to push through a promise to use new federal funds to cut taxes by $950-million.
Yesterday, newly elected PQ interim leader François Gendron said that a tax cut is not a good idea, but the PQ may have no choice but to support it.
"What is certain is that voters do not want to go into another election this June," he said.
Mr. Charest is gambling that the PQ will eventually vote in favour of the tax cut to forestall another election.
Responding to what he believes is voter demand for a more right-wing agenda, Mr. Charest also promised to open the door to more private clinics and lift the freeze on university tuition.
The speech contained few bold initiatives, prompting Official Opposition Leader Mario Dumont to say that the Liberals adopted many of the proposals of his Action Démocratique du Québec.
"It seems Mr. Charest stole ingredients from the ADQ buffet and it shows he has no clear recipe in his head, no clear vision for Quebec," Mr. Dumont said.
Mr. Charest’s minority government also promised to respond to voter concerns about the "reasonable accommodation" of certain religious groups.
Voter backlash on this issue cost the Liberals votes and boosted support for the ADQ, which denounced the demands of some minorities.
Mr. Charest emphasized the need to strike a balance between accommodating religious minorities and protecting Quebec’s identity and values.
"To be born in Quebec is a blessing, to immigrate to Quebec is a privilege. Integrating immigrants is a responsibility. It is a reciprocal gesture," Mr. Charest said in arguing that immigrants need to embrace Quebec values, such as the equality between men and women.
One of the more popular initiatives announced yesterday is a bill to limit access to semi-automatic guns. Dubbed the Anastasia bill in memory of Anastasia De Sousa, who was killed in a shooting rampage at Montreal’s Dawson College last September, the bill could require gun owners to store semi-automatic guns in special facilities at designated firing ranges.
