BERTRAND GUAY via Getty Images
I decided to give you a short list of the Couillard government's extraordinary spending this fall for friends of the Liberal Party. You see, the list speaks for itself and shows how much the austerity we are confronted with varies depending on who's involved.
12/08/2015 04:22 EST
Patrick Bellerose
Martin Coiteux doesn't give the impression he's very interested in negotiating with workers in the public sector. Despite the fact that the Common Front has significantly lowered its demand on pay it seems clear to me that the chair of the Conseil du trésor had already written his speech before he even met with the Common Front.
11/24/2015 02:56 EST
Mario Beauregard/La Presse canadienne
What's the most upsetting in all this is the speed with which the government invests large amounts in a private company for a high-risk project at the same time as it is loath to invest in public services. Our government of bankers and businessmen should remember that it is responsible for managing for the common good -- period!
11/03/2015 02:25 EST
gwflash
I'm going to talk to you about social inequalities. Some might think that this issue isn't important in Québec. Yet the data show a particularly disturbing growth in inequalities. In my opinion, our struggles must converge on the fight against growing social inequalities.
10/01/2015 05:27 EDT
Shannon Fagan via Getty Images
There is growing definite interest in our affiliated unions for debating the use of pressure tactics up to and including a strike. Some unions are further ahead than others in their consideration of this, while others are beginning to give it thought. All this is encouraging, because mobilization is how workers will be able to stop the Liberal bulldozer.
03/03/2015 09:43 EST
Charles Mann via Getty Images
Tax havens are an even greater cause for concern because they are at the root of a vicious circle that results in workers bearing the brunt of the pressure to keep public finances "balanced", while the real sources of wealth escape us. It's no exaggeration to say that without tax havens, there wouldn't be any austerity!
02/23/2015 05:21 EST
Radio-Canada
Contrary to what various columnists say, I don't find it surprising that Minister Barrette wanted to cut off debate and push through Bill 10. It's the cornerstone that will make it possible to move ahead with more privatization in health care and social services.
02/10/2015 08:59 EST
AFP via Getty Images
It is also interesting to note that 43 per cent of CEOs, who can afford to pay for their retirement without other contributions, have set up defined benefits pension plans that will provide them $1.9 million every year from the time they turn 65. Less than 11 per cent of the general population has a defined benefits pension plan, in stark contrast with a full 43 per cent of the wealthiest in our society. But the Couillard government is doing absolutely nothing to improve the lot of the 89 per cent who are excluded.
01/13/2015 12:33 EST
Bloomberg via Getty Images
In recent weeks, I explained that the objective of the Couillard government is to make Canadian averages the rule in Québec. To do this, the government is attacking what distinguishes Québec: our collective choice to have social programs that help limit social inequalities.
12/04/2014 06:07 EST
ASSOCIATED PRESS
In last week's blog, I indicated that I would come back to the issue of Canadian averages, which seem to be very important for Premier Couillard. With all its trial balloons, it's clear that the Couillard government is drawing on the Canadian model to dismantle Québec's.
11/18/2014 12:45 EST
Bloomberg via Getty Images
It was obvious to everyone that the Couillard government's proposals will simply make inequalities worse. The government wasn't mandated to dismantle public services. Philippe Couillard didn't get a mandate from the population to do what he's doing. Philippe Couillard is implementing the CAQ's program.
11/11/2014 12:22 EST
For close to a month now, Nadine Lambert (nurse and vice-president responsible for health-care professionals) and I have been crisscrossing Québec to meet with union members in all regions. It's been...
07/28/2014 04:51 EDT
Getty Images
I would like to turn to the organization of support services in the health and social services system. Huge savings could be made in this area. Costs for support services have exploded while total payroll went down. How can these costs be brought under better control?
06/19/2014 12:42 EDT
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Drug companies exist for one reason only: to make maximum profits. It's part of their DNA. Between maximum profits and the value of a human life, the drug companies choose maximum profits. Providing drugs to Africans at prices the latter could afford would affect the prices of drugs here in America and especially in Europe, and thus have a major impact on profits.
06/13/2014 08:36 EDT
LWA/Dann Tardif via Getty Images
Scientific and technological developments mean that people with complex health problems are living longer, with a better quality of life. If we want to maintain this quality of life, we have to bank on the contributions and expertise of all our nurses. I can already hear our detractors saying, "You're doing that so as to demand more pay for nurses!"
05/31/2014 07:03 EDT
The new minister of Health and Social Services, Gaétan Barrette, is admired by some for his "audacity." We propose a few reforms he could implement to improve access to health care. Let's see whether...
05/25/2014 10:53 EDT
CGinspiration via Getty Images
Citing the alarming state of Québec's public finances, Conseil du trésor chair Martin Coiteux warned that the remuneration of government employees might well be tied to their productivity in the very near future. There's no denying that in terms of public costs, Québec's health-care system has the best performance in the country. So why are workers in the field of health not better paid?
05/16/2014 12:28 EDT
PC
The Quebec Liberal Party finally showed its true colours last week. Once the campaign ended Philippe Couillard wasted little time in commissioning two economists to prepare a remarkable for its pro-austerity slant.
05/02/2014 12:58 EDT
Getty
Quebec's new Minister of Health and Social Services, Gaétan Barrette, has longed to take this post for many years. He likely has a clearer vision of the changes he would like to make than the vision espoused by the Liberal Party during the election campaign. There are some projects that are top priority, in my view, because they will help right the ship, change the culture. I list five here.
04/24/2014 05:48 EDT
