Péladeau unveils economic platform
Fiscal plan would make Quebec richer, PQ leadership hopeful says
Slapping a new tax on retail goods sold on eBay, a ministry for digital business and an economy that outperforms the rest of the country making all Quebecers richer.
One day before he faces the other candidates in the first of five highstakes debates, Parti Québécois leadership candidate Pierre Karl Péladeau made public his campaign’s economic platform on Tuesday.
Written on 10 pages, Péladeau said his seven- point plan, which does not necessarily require sovereignty to be put in place, will make Quebec a “richer, fairer, more efficient” place to live.
And the long- term objective is to prove sovereignty is desirable and viable, while federalism is a hindrance to economic growth because it leaves too many financial levers in the hands of Ottawa, Péladeau said at a Montreal news conference.
“You know my political commitment; it has been clear and precise and without ambiguity,” Péladeau said. “But it is mostly to make Quebec a richer country because right now, in the federal framework, it is limited in its capacity to create wealth.”
But while his document says a Péladeau PQ government would want to “limit increases” in the fiscal burden of Quebecers, Péladeau remained vague when asked if he would commit, today, to cutting taxes.
Quebecers are among the highesttaxed citizens of North America.
“Yes, we need to make sure that at the end of the day, if we have the capacity to do so, that we’ll be able to reduce taxes,” Péladeau said. “But it’s not what this ( leadership campaign) business is all about.”
Péladeau bristled when the media insisted on asking for more details about his plan, but one of his handlers declared only one question per reporter would be allowed. There was tension in the room.
Péladeau won’t be able to impose such a rule on Wednesday evening when he faces the other leadership candidates in a first debate, this one to be held at the CEGEP de TroisRivières.
Tuesday, rival Bernard Drainville appeared to be warming up for the big showdown by saying he’s not convinced Péladeau is the economic visionary he claims to be.
Unveiling measures for entrepreneurs, Drainville noted he studied at the London School of Economics and is the son of an agricultural entrepreneur. ( Péladeau has degrees in philosophy and law.)
“Mr. Péladeau has experience as an entrepreneur, true,” Drainville told reporters. “But you know entrepreneurial experience is one dimension, one element of the economy.”
Still, Péladeau will be able to fend off attacks that he has no substance by mentioning the economic plan.
Among his ideas, Péladeau wants to create a “Buy Quebec” policy that would include preferential treatment of Quebec firms by the government.
He wants to go after new sources of revenues such as chasing down people using foreign tax havens, plus slap the provincial sales tax on foreign Internet retail sites.
A Péladeau Quebec would create a ministry for the digital economy, create a new development agency, Développement Québec, and develop plans to retain head offices.
But it is mostly to make Quebec a richer country because …, in the federal framework, it is limited in its capacity to create wealth.