The government Couillard would have preferred a balanced budget

Archival Photo Simon Clark
The minister of Finance of Quebec, Carlos Leitao, has noted “significant shortcomings” in the last federal budget.

Marc-André Gagnon

Wednesday, 28 February 2018 16:40

UPDATE
Wednesday, 28 February 2018 16:43

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As to inspire the Québec pay equity, parental insurance and drug insurance, Ottawa would have been able to do the same for the taxation of e-commerce and the return to balanced budgets, considers the government Couillard.

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Even if he welcomes the measures aimed at improving the quality of life of aboriginal people and the large sums devoted to the sector of research and innovation, the minister of Finance of Quebec, Carlos Leitao, has noted “significant shortcomings” in the last federal budget.

To begin with the promise of a plan to return the budget to balance not held by the Trudeau government.

Promise not kept

“It is the choice of the federal government, it has this choice. Me, I would not have taken this choice-there,” said Mr. Leitao, Wednesday.

“When the economy goes well”, the minister said Leitao, a balanced budget is not a “dogma”, but a “necessity,” according to him. It is an opportunity to generate surplus in order of most difficult days for the economy.

“It had to be guarded. Not everything will work out very well in the economy. There will be times more difficult”, warned in the same direction the prime minister Philippe Couillard.

Even if the debt/GDP ratio is 30 % at the federal level, compared to 50 % in Quebec, “in a period of economic growth, […] the budget must be balanced,” believes Mr. Couillard.

E-Commerce

MESSRS. Couillard and Leitao explained poorly why the federal government is still not interested in taxing Netflix. The same is true for tangible goods, such as furniture, which could be taxed at the border if the border services Agency of Canada (CBSA) was equipped as it should be.

“For tangible goods, so the furniture you see here, the border control, it is the true and only way to ensure truly fair tax,” said Mr. Couillard, in the margin of a visit to the warehouse of Furnishings Tanguay in Quebec city.

The prime minister of Quebec, who would have preferred more to the shipyard Davie, was pleased with the$ 8 Million granted for the TGF.

Is-could this mean the end of the project of monorail? “No,” replied the prime minister. Me, I immediately said to the TGF, we would support it, but it had to be confirmed. Here, we see that there will be a, TGF. Then for the new technology in Quebec (such as those discussed with the project of monorail), there will be many other places to deploy them. “