Latest news with #François Legault
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Quebec won't make a bilateral trade deal with Ontario
OTTAWA — When Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Quebec Premier François Legault faced reporters last week, some grinning and nervous laughter ensued when both men were asked why their two provinces could not come to a bilateral agreement on internal trade. Ford has so far signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on trade with every province and territory — except for Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador. Ford said he had 'all the confidence' in Legault, whom he considers to be a friend, and called him a 'smart business person' who 'wants prosperity for the people of Quebec' and understands that 'when Quebec and Ontario prosper, the whole country prospers.' 'So, I'm confident we'll sit down and really hash out a deal,' he said. Speaking in French, Legault said his government wholeheartedly agrees with Ford's objective of lifting internal trade barriers between provinces, but said Quebec would attain the same objective by debating and passing legislation — Bill 112 — in the fall. The bill seeks to facilitate the commercialization of goods from other provinces and territories in Quebec — with some exceptions that will be made public on the government's website — as well as the mobility of certified workers in the province. In an interview, Quebec Minister for the Economy Christopher Skeete, who tabled the bill, said he appreciates the intent behind Ontario and others signing MOUs with other jurisdictions, but said these agreements would amount to added layers of bureaucracy. 'The thinking for us is if you pass a bill like we're passing with Bill 112, that basically just opens everything. Then the point for an MOU becomes moot,' he said. Skeete, who is also responsible for red tape reduction, said the signing of MOUs between different provinces and territories will lead to businesses having to potentially go through dozens of separate agreements if they want to do business elsewhere in the country. 'I'm not sure we're providing the clarity that the exercise in cross-border trade seeks to remedy. I think the way forward is to say mutual recognition and harmonization where possible, and let's just go. I think that is the posture that we need to be dealing with.' Ontario already adopted Bill 2, the Protect Ontario Through Free Trade Within Canada Act, which enables provincial regulators to mutually recognize goods, services and recognized workers from reciprocating provinces and territories and the federal government. An official in Ford's office, speaking on a not-for-attribution basis to discuss internal matters more freely, said they respect Quebec's wish to go solely the legislative route. 'Certainly, we respect that process, and our door continues to remain open,' they said. The official added each MOU does not need dedicated legislation to enact the terms set out between Ontario and each province or territory, but specific agreements could help with the free flow of direct alcohol sales to consumers, for instance. Legault has a majority government in Quebec, which means that Bill 112 will almost certainly pass in the fall. But the bulk of the work on determining which goods should be excluded by regulation from internal trade will commence right after, said Skeete. 'The clock starts when we pass the bill,' he said, adding that different departments inside the Quebec government will have about 12 months to get back to the government and give them a list of goods that they want to opt out of or want to exclude from internal trade. 'In other words, if there's something that's being sold outside of Quebec that you absolutely want to have a different norm, you're going to have to tell us, and then we will publish that on our (ministry of the) Economy website for transparency.' That way, Skeete added, 'businesses will know exactly what they're getting themselves into when they do business in Quebec.' Many requirements that are considered not essential would be dropped once Bill 112 is in place. For instance, Transport Quebec currently has requirements that scooters should have reflectors be a specific colour, and be located both on the wheels and in the back. 'That kind of thing creates a barrier. So, we can agree that the scooter needs to have certain safety measures … but certainly, the colour and the location of the reflectors is really not the dealbreaker. So, that's the kind of thing that would disappear,' said Skeete. Some things, however, will not change under Bill 112. A senior government official in Quebec said French language laws will continue to apply for goods, and that professional orders in Quebec could require the mastery of French to practice in the province. Quebec also has more stringent consumer protection laws, which means that goods coming into the province are still subject to certain guarantees, warranties and other norms bound by Quebec's Office de la protection du consommateur, noted Skeete. The example of the scooter made in another province would not be exempt from warranty obligations unique to Quebec nor would it be exempt from having instructions in French for how to handle the scooter if it were to be sold in the province, he said. 'The way to do business in Quebec doesn't change just because you're importing things from other provinces now.' 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Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
André Pratte: Dialogue key to decreasing tensions between Alberta and Quebec
Seven years ago, Quebec Premier François Legault made a very unfortunate comment, calling oil from Alberta's oil sands 'dirty energy.' 'I am not embarrassed to refuse dirty energy while we are offering clean energy at a competitive price,' Legault said, rejecting the idea of a pipeline crossing Quebec's territory to reach the port of Saint John, New Brunswick. Albertans were incensed, and rightfully so, considering that Quebec receives billions in equalization payments thanks, in part, to Alberta's prosperity. Consider also that Quebecers consume millions of barrels of gas from the oil sands each year. Last week, at a hearing held by the Alberta Next panel, Premier Danielle Smith made a derogatory comment about Quebec that went largely unnoticed. Regarding the possibility that her province might withdraw from the national supply management regime, Smith stated: 'Creating our own Alberta version of supply management, maybe as a pathway to a market system and … just because it would stick our finger in the eye of Quebec … might be (something) we want to do a little consultation on.' Let's leave aside that sticking a finger in fellow Canadians' eyes is a very poor basis for crucial policy decisions. Her comment is of the kind that responsible politicians in Canada should not encourage, let alone make. There is enough anti-Alberta, anti-Toronto, anti-Quebec prejudice in our country; while defending their province's interests, provincial premiers should avoid language that escalates rather than calms tensions within our federation. I understand why many Albertans are angry with Quebec. I also understand how Quebecers came to hold negative views about the oil sands. I believe that such misunderstandings can be alleviated by dialogue. Unfortunately, few of our elected officials, federally or provincially, appear willing to engage in such open-minded discussions. Politically, it is often easier to ride on people's prejudices than to challenge them. This is certainly what Legault has been doing since being elected in 2018. Unfortunately, Mr. Legault has invested very little energy in improving relationships between Quebec and other provinces. My impression is that Smith is doing exactly the same in encouraging the view that Alberta's problems are mainly caused by a federal government controlled by Ontario and Quebec. I noticed that the Premier's message on Canada Day said very little about what unites Canadians; it was all about Alberta. It is unclear how Mr. Legault feels about Canada, so we should not expect more from him. But we know that Smith is a proud Canadian; her words and actions should reflect that. I am afraid that, for the moment, the Alberta Premier is more concerned about not losing the separatist vote than about promoting Alberta's interests within a united Canada. This is a time where Canadians need to hold hands to face the new, threatening world we live in. This can only happen if we overcome our simplistic views of Canadians from other regions, cultures, religions, age groups, etc. Diversity is Canada's strength, we often hear. However, we need to go beyond flowery statements. Our national unity is based on respect for diversity. This requires hard work from everybody, especially our leaders. I had the privilege of sitting in Canada's Senate for three and a half years. There are things I did not like in the Red Chamber, which is why I resigned. What I enjoyed the most was working with thoughtful Canadians from all walks of life and regions in order to solve common problems, from pipelines to supply management, from the environment to public finance, from official languages to national unity. The vast majority of Senators I worked with were willing to listen to my concerns, and I certainly tried my best to listen, really listen, to theirs. In the end, most of the time, we found a pathway to a win-win solution. Sitting beside me in the Senate for two years was Murray Sinclair, who sadly passed last year. Murray, as we all know, had courageously chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. I learned more from Senator Sinclair during those two years, not only about Indigenous issues but about life in general, than in my 35 years in journalism. I could say the same about quite of few of my former colleagues. Listening and keeping an open mind is the key to keeping this country together at a crucial time in our common history. Our past demonstrates that we are up to the task if we put our hearts into it. Let's begin. André Pratte, a former Senator, is a communications consultant and a doctoral student in history. National Post Jesse Kline: Give 16-year-olds the vote? Only if you want never-ending socialism Adam Pankratz: Roberts and McAfee are right — no one cares what sports personalities think about politics
National Post
22-07-2025
- Politics
- National Post
André Pratte: Dialogue key to decreasing tensions between Alberta and Quebec
Seven years ago, Quebec Premier François Legault made a very unfortunate comment, calling oil from Alberta's oil sands 'dirty energy.' 'I am not embarrassed to refuse dirty energy while we are offering clean energy at a competitive price,' Legault said, rejecting the idea of a pipeline crossing Quebec's territory to reach the port of Saint John, New Brunswick. Albertans were incensed, and rightfully so, considering that Quebec receives billions in equalization payments thanks, in part, to Alberta's prosperity. Consider also that Quebecers consume millions of barrels of gas from the oil sands each year. Article content Article content Last week, at a hearing held by the Alberta Next panel, Premier Danielle Smith made a derogatory comment about Quebec that went largely unnoticed. Regarding the possibility that her province might withdraw from the national supply management regime, Smith stated: 'Creating our own Alberta version of supply management, maybe as a pathway to a market system and … just because it would stick our finger in the eye of Quebec … might be (something) we want to do a little consultation on.' Article content Article content Let's leave aside that sticking a finger in fellow Canadians' eyes is a very poor basis for crucial policy decisions. Her comment is of the kind that responsible politicians in Canada should not encourage, let alone make. There is enough anti-Alberta, anti-Toronto, anti-Quebec prejudice in our country; while defending their province's interests, provincial premiers should avoid language that escalates rather than calms tensions within our federation. Article content I understand why many Albertans are angry with Quebec. I also understand how Quebecers came to hold negative views about the oil sands. I believe that such misunderstandings can be alleviated by dialogue. Unfortunately, few of our elected officials, federally or provincially, appear willing to engage in such open-minded discussions. Article content Article content Politically, it is often easier to ride on people's prejudices than to challenge them. This is certainly what Legault has been doing since being elected in 2018. Unfortunately, Mr. Legault has invested very little energy in improving relationships between Quebec and other provinces. Article content Article content My impression is that Smith is doing exactly the same in encouraging the view that Alberta's problems are mainly caused by a federal government controlled by Ontario and Quebec. I noticed that the Premier's message on Canada Day said very little about what unites Canadians; it was all about Alberta. Article content It is unclear how Mr. Legault feels about Canada, so we should not expect more from him. But we know that Smith is a proud Canadian; her words and actions should reflect that. I am afraid that, for the moment, the Alberta Premier is more concerned about not losing the separatist vote than about promoting Alberta's interests within a united Canada. Article content This is a time where Canadians need to hold hands to face the new, threatening world we live in. This can only happen if we overcome our simplistic views of Canadians from other regions, cultures, religions, age groups, etc. Diversity is Canada's strength, we often hear. However, we need to go beyond flowery statements. Our national unity is based on respect for diversity. This requires hard work from everybody, especially our leaders.
CTV News
16-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
After mounting pressure over education cuts, Quebec announces $540M for students
Weeks after mounting pressure from unions and opposition parties for making cuts to education, François Legault's Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government has announced more than half a billion dollars for student services. Education Minister Bernard Drainville announced on social media Wednesday that the provincial government will invest $540 million for the school network and that all funds 'must be used to finance direct services to students, not for anything else.' Quebec's education ministry had come under fire after announcing at the end of the last school year that the network would have to reduce its spending by nearly $570 million by the fall. The ministry had asked English school boards and French-language service centres to cut $510.8 million from the 2025-2026 fiscal year, and an additional $56.9 million from the private schools – for a total of $567.7 million. The announcement on Wednesday did not mention whether or not the requested budget cuts still stand. In response to the request in June, Parti Québécois (PQ) MNA Pascal Bérubé launched a petition on the National Assembly website, calling on the government not to make any cuts that would directly affect student services. As of late Wednesday morning, it had collected 157,739 signatures. Reacting to Drainville's announcement, Bérubé said the newly announced funding is the result of his 'record-breaking petition in education.' On Wednesday, Drainville said in a post on X that he consulted with school organizations and listened to their feedback over the past month. 'These past few weeks have provided an opportunity to review CSS [Centre de services scolaire] spending. This exercise will not continue and intensify,' the minister wrote. On annonce une enveloppe pouvant atteindre 540 millions de dollars pour les services aux élèves. On choisit l'éducation, on choisit nos élèves, sans sacrifier la bonne gestion. Déclaration 👇🏼 — Bernard Drainville (@BDrainvilleQc) July 16, 2025 The new money does come with some conditions. Of the $540 million announced, $425 million will be allocated to a dedicated envelope, and each CSS will have to 'demonstrate that it has made efforts to reduce its administrative expenses and commit to using the money solely for student services. Accountability will be required,' according to Drainville. He added: 'The maximum number of employees at certain CSSs is being increased to take into account their specific circumstances, particularly an increase in the number of students to be enrolled in their territory. In concrete terms, all CSSs will see their budgets increase.' More to come.
