MONTREAL - If you thought you had heard a lot about the Northern Plan, brace for more, Premier Jean Charest said he's just getting started.
The upcoming session in the National Assembly already promises to be dominated by legislation concerning the development of Quebec's north and Charest is also promising to press the flesh in Quebec towns and villages in a modern whistle-stop tour aimed at promoting the plan.
What Charest is calling his Northern Cape tour began in Sherbrooke in December and will lead him to every corner of the province.
"I will keep going to all the regions of Quebec to sell entrepreneurs from southern Quebec to seek contracts in the north," he said.
Charest is slated to hit Montreal at the Northern Plan Salon at the Palais de Congres on 20 and 21 April. The fair is sponsored by the Montreal Chamber of Commerce and aims to attract employers and researchers above the 49th parallel.
Charest unveiled his plans at a press conference on the sidelines of a two day Liberal caucus in Victoriaville. He said that he will not be calling an election before his visit to Montreal in April.
He plans also to adopt Bill 14, to modernize mining regulations and another bill to establish the Corporation for the Northern Plan.
The National Assembly reconvenes from its Christmas break on Tuesday February 14 and Charest expects continued resistance to the legislation, which has been assailed at length by the opposition PQ.
Bill 14 has already led to 250 hours of debate in the assembly and Charest suggested that he could be putting a gag on future discussions.
The Liberals also have legislation to pass that would protect 50 percent of the north from the development.
Charest said that in spite of tens of thousands of lost jobs in the province, business is doing well in Quebec.
"We have had three years of solid growth and prosperity, compared to our neighbours. During those years we had three months of where jobs were lost. All of the other economic indicators are moving in the right direction," he said.
"Economically speaking, Quebec is doing well," he said.
"My adversaries don't think the economy is a priority. If they did, they'd speak to it and they don't," said Charest.
He was flanked by his numbers guy who agreed that the Northern Plan is an interesting approach to dealing with the international economic troubles that have proven somewhat contagious.
"The world is in a turbulent time because of Europe, because of slow growth in the United States. It affects China, so basically it affects Canada and Quebec," said Finance Minister Raymond Bachand. "Basically, we have to transform our economy to create wealth."
Quebec's health care facilities gobbles up about half of the provincial budget and the minister in charge of those hospitals also shared his plans for the upcoming session with CTV Montreal.
"If I look ahead, it's always to take care of the people who are getting older, and also the emergency rooms in Montreal and in Gatineau. Those are the two things we have to take care of in 2012," said Health Minister Yves Bolduc.
With a file from the Canadian Press
