Quebec solidaire wants to index government benefits twice a year

Quebec Solidaire MNA Christine Labrie questions the government on education, Tuesday, October 26, 2021 at the legislature in Quebec City. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

Even before the national assembly reconvenes next Tuesday, Québec solidaire (QS) is already proposing measures to help Quebecers who are facing a skyrocketing cost of living.

In a news release issued on Sunday morning, Québec solidaire proposes that the Legault government take advantage of the Dec. 8 economic update "to index Quebec government benefits twice a year so that they better reflect the evolution of inflation."

QS is targeting the Quebec Pension Plan (QPP), the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan (RQAP), public sector retirement pensions, CNESST benefits for work-related accidents, student financial assistance (AFE), the solidarity tax credit, social assistance and compensation for victims of crime (IVAC).

For his part, Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard recently opened the door to some form of financial support for businesses to help them cope with inflation.

The Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government is also moving forward with its election promise to help individuals cope with the rising cost of living. More than 6.5 million taxpayers will receive one-time assistance this month ranging from $400 to $600, depending on their income for the year 2021.

This does not satisfy Montreal MNA Haroun Bouazzi, who is responsible for finance and believes that this form of non-recurring assistance will not achieve the desired objective.

"With his ill-targeted tax cuts and all-out cheques, François Legault is depriving us of precious revenues that should be used to help those who really need it," said Bouazzi.

"Indexing pensions twice a year is a minimum to better protect seniors from inflation. The federal pension is indexed four times a year, and I can't believe that in Quebec, we are not able to do it at least twice a year," said Sherbrooke MNA Christine Labrie, who is responsible for seniors' issues.

During the election campaign that ended on Oct. 3, all parties represented in the national assembly made the fight against inflation one of their top priorities for the next parliamentary session.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Nov. 27, 2022.