QUEBEC CITY – Every little bit counts.
Thursday, the Couillard Liberals announced cuts to the province’s Women’s Council will save them half a million dollars.
The Liberals are sticking to their objective of balancing the budget this year, even asking international students to pitch in.
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French undergraduate students will no longer benefit from Quebec tuition fees; they will have to pay the Canadian rate, around $6650 a year – a total of $30 million saved dollars for the province.
That’s not all.
The Health Minister says starting in April, doctors will have to prioritize generic drugs.
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“We expect to save at least $40 million,” said Gaétan Barrette.
Barrette says generic drugs are as safe as brand names and cost way less.
Regardless, unions have declared war.
More than 1,000 protesters gathered in front of the National Assembly and insisted Liberal cuts are having a real impact.
“We see cuts in the number of classes that are taught, the number of people who are teaching, cuts in the opening hours of laboratories, libraries,” added Parti Québécois MNA Véronique Hivon.
The demonstration didn’t impress Quebec’s Treasury Board President, Martin Coiteux.
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“The government has to defend the collective interest,” he said.
“I understand the unions defend the interest of their members but ultimately they cannot ask all Quebecers to work for them.”
Unions promise to keep pressuring the government this spring as they continue to negotiate new collective agreements.
READ MORE: Unions challenge Quebec pension reform in court
Unions are asking for a 13.5 per cent salary hike over the next three years.
The Liberals have offered three per cent over five years.
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