The last legislative session before Quebec’s fall provincial election begins today.
Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard says his government’s seven remaining months will be focused on the economy, entrepreneurship, innovation and transport, as well as on announcing measures to help families.
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Finance Minister Carlos Leitao’s final budget of the Liberals’ current mandate will likely be tabled in the spring, and he has already stated it will include tax cuts for small and medium-sized businesses.
Several high-profile cabinet ministers are considering retiring from politics, including House Leader Jean-Marc Fournier and National Assembly Speaker Jacques Chagnon, and Quebecers can expect candidate announcements from all parties as the election date nears.
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The upcoming legislative session will likely include all four main political parties honing their messages ahead of the election and attempting to position themselves against one another.
Parti Québécois Leader Jean-Francois Lisée has already begun marketing his party as one that will fight for a strong and efficient state at the service of the population.
The Coalition Avenir Québec, riding consistently high in the polls, will need to prove to Quebecers it is ready to govern, since its creation in 2011.
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Couillard and the Liberals will be making its case that the lean government spending years in the early part of its mandate were worth the pain now that the state has billions to spend on tax cuts and services.
The Quebec election is scheduled for Oct. 1.
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