The Liberal finance critic is calling on the new CAQ government to tell Quebecers how it intends to pay for its campaign promises.

Finance Minister Eric Girard will deliver the CAQ economic update on Dec. 3, when he is expected to reveal to Quebecers the size of the projected surplus for this fiscal year, ending March 31.

Former finance minister – and now opposition critic -- Carlos Leitao said that despite a considerable surplus left over by the Liberal government, Quebec's finances aren't a bottomless well.

The public purse is not infinite. There are limits to when governments can do, and to govern is to choose,” said Leitao at a Monday news conference.

“So therefore we’d like to see in the economic update, what are the choices that the new government is going to put in place.

Leitao said he wants to see specifics, particularly in the area of public infrastructure.

“We mentioned four areas, the most important one being infrastructure investment, where many promises were made during the election campaign without being proficient. So we want a better idea of what exactly will be built in public infrastructure,” he said.

Leitao also said he wants the economic update to include Legault's commitment to transfer 1 per cent of Quebec's 10 per cent sales tax to municipalities. He also said he expects to see a clear plan to address labour shortages affecting businesses across the province.

 

Environmental priorities

The Liberal government also said the pressure is on for the Legault government to turn its words into deeds, particularly with the fight against climate change.

Liberal MNAs said Monday that the CAQ has shown a lack of sensitivity to the environment, calling on the party to prove its concerns by putting some measures in place.

They hope, they say, that the CAQ improves the Reno Vert program and renders it permanent. The program promotes green home renovation, offering a 20 per cent tax credit to residents who use it. They also called on the government to increase funding for recycling and sorting centres.

The truncated fall session of the National Assembly starts Tuesday. The legislature will elect a speaker on that day, followed Wednesday by Legault's inaugural speech outlining government priorities.


Immigration bill to be tabled

Immigration Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette has said he will submit his plan to reduce annual immigration by 20 per cent before the Christmas recess.

Quebec is expected to welcome no more than 40,000 immigrants next year, down from about 50,000 this year. Legault has justified the reduction by stating too few newcomers have sufficient knowledge of French and their unemployment rates are unacceptably high.

Between January and August 2018, however, the unemployment rate for immigrants aged between 25 and 54 dropped sharply, from 8.1 per cent to 6 per cent, according to an independent research institute created by the Conference Board of Canada and Universite de Montreal's business school.



- With files from Giuseppe Valiante of The Canadian Press