PQ MNA calls for more effective government assistance programs

Gaspé MNA Méganne Perry Mélançon, Parti Québécois economy critic, is demanding the Quebec government make immediate improvements to the Aide aux entreprises en régions en alerte maximale (AERAM) program.

AERAM aims to assist businesses located in red zones. With the government announcing an extended closure until Jan. 11, 2021, Mélançon believes small and medium-sized businesses are going to need all the help they can get to survive.

In a press release, the Gaspé MNA explained that submitting an application to the program can be extremely difficult. The government has been flooded with requests from Quebec-based businesses, but the cash is not always readily available.

Mélançon said Premier François Legault casually dropping the news of an extended shutdown period for bars, restaurants and gyms shows a lack of compassion. The information deserved more attention, she continued, as this has a tremendous impact on local business owners.

“The government keeps saying that

AERAM is working effectively on the ground; this is not true,” Mélançon said. “Sixty-page forms, fees to open a file, endless delays […] it’s not going well, not at all.”

Many business owners have invested a lot of money into bringing their establishments up to par with Quebec’s health and safety guidelines, she added, but the government continues to push the idea that they need to remain closed in order to combat COVID-19.

The Coalition Avenir Québec government also recently handed its responsibility to help local businesses over to the MRCS. The problem, she explained, is that community organizations have also faired poorly throughout the pandemic.

They are not fit to help the many requests coming in through the AERAM program. These local organizations are being asked to provide assistance even though they don’t have the means to do so, Mélançon said. The process needs to be simplified, she concluded.

“It is imperative that the economy minister rolls up his sleeves and makes assistance available now, for all entrepreneurs in the red zone who request it and who meet realistic criteria,” said Mélançon.