Liberals pledge cash and respite for disabled

BROME The Liberals’ campaign caravan criss-crossed the Eastern Townships on Friday, starting in Sherbrooke before heading to Longueuil to support the farmers and bring attention to François Legault’s absence, returning to Sherbrooke to announce aid for the disabled, and completing the day’s agricultural theme with a visit to the Brome Country Fair.

Couillard joined with Parti Québécois Leader Jean-François Lisée and Québec solidaire’s Manon Massé at a news conference in Longueuil organized by Quebec’s union of agricultural producers to support the province’s farmers in Canada’s trade talks with the United States. Conspicuous by his absence was the current front-runner in the Quebec election campaign, Coalition Avenir Québec’s Legault, who was in Chicoutimi.

Legault spoke to the farmers union by phone and sent several candidates to the meeting. One of his candidates accused opposing parties of sabotaging Legault by only announcing at the last minute they would be attending. Couillard’s team, which was stationed in Sherbrooke Thursday night, only sent out their program for the following day at 8:30 p.m., two hours later than usual, and after the CAQ’s itinerary had already been sent.

On Friday, Couillard, Lisée and Massé said they found a way to be there, and each of the party leaders questioned Legault’s priorities in not doing the same.

“I looked after my own schedule,” Couillard said. “He is capable of looking after his.”

Couillard’s caravan headed back east, stopping to visit a century-old church converted into a multimedia work and artists centre in the town of St-Adrien before returning to Sherbrooke. While there, Couillard pledged to increase financial aid and offer more access to health care and lodging services for disabled Quebecers and their families.

At present, 34,000 disabled children receive payments of $2,300 a year. If re-elected, the Liberals promise to increase annual payments for 10,000 of those children deemed to be more seriously disabled to $5,900 annually.

An additional 2,000 children in the province designated as severely disabled receive $11,000 a year.

“To live with a child with a handicap is of course an enormous challenge that we are all sensitive to,” Couillard said. “As a parent and a grandparent, I often wonder how I would handle it. We must recognize the courage and the strength of families who live with this.”

Asked if the new financing was linked to several instances of parents who threatened legal action against the government to gain more support during his first term, Couillard said the new pledges were based on needs that were identified by the government.

Disabled children who turn 18 years old and are incapable of finding work will be eligible for payments of $18,000 a year, starting in 2019, the Liberals promised. Currently, they have to wait five and a half years before being eligible for social assistance. Between the age of 18 and 23, they receive nothing.

In addition, families will have access to an additional 1,000 spots in daycare centres for disabled children. At present, there are 4,000 in Quebec. Another 2,000 spots will be made available for other forms of service care to give parents or caregivers respite. The extra payments and care services will cost $70 million annually, the Liberals said.

At the same time, Couillard dismissed allegations he was using his candidates to do the campaign dirty work after Gaétan Barrette held a press conference urging the province’s anti-corruption squad, UPAC, to investigate CAQ candidate Éric Caire’s $55,000 loan from a mayor in his riding.

“I’d rather have people say positive things or neutral things about each other, that’s the way I am,” he said.