The shortage of labor is the “primary challenge” of the quebec economy, believes Couillard

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The shortage of labour in Quebec is “the main challenge” in which Québec is facing in 2017, believes Philippe Couillard.

Pascal Dugas Drone

Tuesday, 5 December 2017 09:14

UPDATE
Tuesday, 5 December 2017 20:41

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QUEBEC | Québec will have to address 1 375 000 jobs between 2015 and 2024, which makes the shortage of labor “the main challenge” economic, to which the province will have to face, believe Philippe Couillard.

• READ ALSO: the generous “gifts” to attract workers

According to the prime minister, it is even a more important issue that the renegotiation of the free trade Agreement north american (NAFTA) with the United States and Mexico.

“If we do not act more vigorously to correct [lack of workforce], the consequences for our economy, for our jobs, will be negative,” explained the prime minister, in his speech at the opening of the forum on the valorisation of diversity and the fight against discrimination, which was held in Quebec city, Tuesday.

“I would place [the challenge] above, the same issues that we have trade agreements currently”, he added.

For getting to meet this challenge, Québec must “inevitably” have to appeal to the immigration, even if this is not the only solution, he recalled. “We must continue to better train, better equip our young people”.

The immigrant work force will include a contribution in the region, where the ministry of Immigration, through the offices of Services Québec, will assume the role of “agent of economic development”.

The government Couillard also help businesses who are in need of workforce and support organizations that work with immigrants and issues of diversity.

To achieve its ambitions, Québec has allocated an envelope of $15 million.

In addition, a member of the Union of professionals of the government of Quebec (SPGQ) was forcibly removed from the place where stood the forum a few minutes before the press briefing of the prime minister, held in the late afternoon. It was just about incomprehensible, while two officers were trying to control it.

Parallel Consultation

This forum is the result of the decedent consultation on systemic discrimination and racism, that the government Couillard was abolished following widespread criticism.

Dissatisfied with the erosion of the government, civil society groups have used the forum to announce the establishment of a independent consulting on the “systemic racism”.

This process will include the objective of “proposing concrete and long lasting solutions to eradicate the systemic racism,” said the Table of consultation against systemic racism, by issuing a press release.

The collection has a reference to “an extensive process of citizen independent”, without however specifying the form it will take.