Economy and identity: Quebec premier delivers inaugural speech of 43rd legislature | 24CA News

The Quebec authorities will spend the subsequent 4 years attempting to reverse what it says is the decline of French in Montreal and remodel the province’s financial system whereas lowering greenhouse gasoline emissions, Premier Francois Legault stated Wednesday.

Legault delivered his inaugural speech — equal to a throne speech — to the forty third session of the legislature, virtually two months after his Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) was re-elected with a big majority.

His speech touched on labour shortages and the difficulties plaguing the well being system. But the thrust of his message was about Quebec’s identification and find out how to struggle local weather change with out damaging the financial system.

“On identity, the objective is to stop the decline of French in Quebec, and in particular in Montreal — to reverse the trend because French is the base of our identity as a nation,” Legault stated.

“Imagine what would remain of us if we lost this fundamental link that unites us with past generations and those to come.”

He famous that between 2001 and 2021, the quantity of people that converse French at dwelling fell to 78 per cent from 83 per cent. In Montreal, he stated, that quantity dropped under 50 per cent _ to 48 per cent from 55 per cent _ over the identical interval.

“It is imperative to stop this decline and reverse the trend,” Legault stated, including that his authorities would produce yearly statistics on the well being of the French language as an alternative of ready for census numbers from Statistics Canada.

There is an simple hyperlink between immigration coverage and the vitality of the French language, Legault stated. All Quebecers favour immigration, he defined, however they need newcomers to be built-in correctly into Quebec society.

His objective, he stated, is to make sure that by 2026, 100 per cent of financial immigrants to the province converse French.

“It’s a question of survival for our language in Quebec,” Legault stated.

The premier boasted that Quebec emits considerably fewer greenhouse gasoline emissions per capita than the remainder of the continent and stated the struggle towards local weather change mustn’t intrude with rising Quebec’s wealth.

“Quebec emits 50 per cent fewer greenhouse gases per capita compared with the rest of North America. We have to go longer and faster (to cut emissions) but we also have to co-ordinate that with our goal to eliminate the wealth gap.”

Quebec’s authorities has pledged to have net-zero greenhouse gasoline emissions by 2050.

Legault stated the province will want the equal of half the full output of Hydro-Québec — 100 terawatt hours extra — by 2050 to satisfy the province’s vitality calls for, including that authorities should contemplate constructing new dams to take action, one thing that may take as much as 15 years.

“So we need in the next mandate to have a real societal debate on how we will get this 100 terawatt hours and realize that more than ever, our electricity in Quebec is precious,” Legault stated.

On well being care, Legault repeated his name on the federal authorities to extend its share of funding.

“We need help from the federal government,” Legault stated, noting that well being bills for all provinces are rising 5 to 6 per cent yearly due to an growing older inhabitants, including that the federal authorities solely funds 22 per cent of well being prices within the province.

“We are reasonable, we say the federal government should go from 22 per cent to 35 per cent ? and (the health transfers) must be indexed at five to six per cent (a year) because the impact of aging is increasing spending at this rhythm,” Legault stated.

Quebec’s second opposition occasion, Québec solidaire, stated Legault is utilizing the mistaken numbers to find out the well being of the French language, including that the premier appeared to have softened his language on immigration. Legault had been criticized throughout final summer time’s election marketing campaign for his rhetoric on immigrants — together with for tying immigrants with violence and extremism.

“What needs to be debated is French as the language of use (at work),” Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, spokesman for Québec solidaire, stated in reference to Legault’s feedback concerning the language folks use of their properties.

“It is not up to the premier to manage what language the world speaks by tucking in their children at night.”

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