The Prime Minister of Quebec promised Quebec another check to compensate for inflation – if re-elected, ie.
Speaking in the National Assembly on Tuesday, Francois Lego said the province had underestimated the impact of inflation on daily spending.
The government of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) recently gave $ 500 to every Quebec who filed a tax return and earned less than $ 100,000, although experts say they will contribute to inflation issue.
“By the end of 2022, we will send a new check – if we are elected, obviously,” he added.
Legault did not specify whether the check will be for $ 500 or another amount.
The statement was met with ridicule by opposition politicians in the legislature, who said the measure was little more than an election ploy.
“So he is buying votes. Wow, “said Mark Tanguay, Quebec’s liberal MNA for Lafontaine County. Francois Lego thinks he can buy votes!
Tanguay said that was not the vision of the province that he said most Quebecers wanted.
Québec Solidaire spokesman Gabriel Nado-Dubois asked why the government was no longer working to address the main problems putting pressure on Quebec’s pocketbooks.
“Lego is dealing with the cost of living crisis, as we are with the holes. He’s just patching holes, “he said.
Nado-Dubois asked if the prime minister would simply continue to send checks every few months and said the money would be better spent trying to tackle the housing crisis.
Quebec Finance Council Chairwoman Sonia Lebel said all political parties have strategies to tackle inflation. (CBC)
Finance Council President Sonia Lebel has denied her government is trying to buy votes with the new measure.
“We are not doing this,” she said emphatically. “We are responsible and we have a strategy to deal with a situation that is real for Quebec.”
Lebel said it was clear that the Quebec government must intervene if inflation continues to rise, and the way her party is proposing to do so is by giving people money that they can spend as they see fit. good.
NGOs are disappointed
Sarai Ortiz Torres, community organizer at Project Genesis, a non-profit anti-poverty agency based in Montreal’s Côte-des-Neiges, thinks so.
“[If we have a surplus] why don’t we see long-term solutions? Why don’t we see the solutions we need to deal with the housing crisis, to deal with rising living costs? “She asked.” The only thing we can think about is that it’s just attempt to be re-elected. “
Torres said the government could build social housing or increase the amount of money offered through social programs.
“The basic check for a person’s well-being is $ 725 a month. And I don’t think anyone can make or survive on just over $ 700 a month right now, “she said.
“Honestly, I think this is an insult to low-income workers, an insult to under-funded NGOs throughout the province.”
WATCH How much will $ 500 help Quebecers cope with rising living costs?
How much will $ 500 help Quebecers cope with rising living costs?
Tasha Lakman, executive director of the Depot Community Food Center in Montreal’s NDG neighborhood, and Adejok Olanian, a single mother who is a client and volunteer, say the $ 500 tax credit will not go far to help low-income families.
Tasha Lakman, executive director of the Depot Community Food Center in Montreal’s Notre-Dame-de-Grâce district, said the main problem was that many Quebecers did not earn a living.
“We had the biggest month we’ve had in four months, and at the end of the month it was crazier than ever because people are running out of money,” she said.
She said she had heard from clients since the first inspection was announced, who said there would be no big difference because money was “a problem every month and it is unlikely to make a dent”.
“There is no doubt that everyone is experiencing increased living costs. But not all people feel the same way, “she said.
Luckman said the government should take a more targeted approach or invest the money in community organizations.
She estimated that only one percent of the Depot’s annual budget came from the government, and said additional funding would make a “huge difference”.
Instead, the money went to some households that did not need help – and did not pay it in advance.
Luckman said Depot appealed to those who do not need the money to donate it and received a huge response online.
“[Lots of people] said: “When the check arrives, we will make a donation to the Depot because we do not need it and you will be able to use this money more efficiently than us,” she said.
“I think a lot of people had really good intentions, but at the end of the day we only got one check, which was explicitly a $ 500 check from someone who said, ‘This is my loan and I want the Depot to have it.’ ”
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