Submitted by: Ian Stone, President Alliance Quebec 2.0 January 18th 2013
Bill 14: The Economic & Financial Consequences of Going in the Opposite Direction of Every Major Western, Developed Democracy on the Planet: What Quebec Bill 14 Committee members NEED to know about both the short and long term ECONOMIC consequences for all of Quebec if this legislation is enacted
Summary
Bill 14 has been framed linguistically and culturally and has vociferous opponents and advocates on both sides of the debate. ALLiance Quebec 2.0’s focus is economic and to that end I would like to present key economic data to the committee that will highlight the FISCAL costs of this particular piece of legislation both in the short and long-term.
Issue Quebec is NOT in a financial position to tighten laws that make it harder for people to come here, to set up business here, to go to school here – this is precisely the opposite of what a tanking economy should be doing right now. We NEED to be opening ourselves up to the world, not closing ourselves off; in so doing, we are literally taking food out of our children’s mouths.
Background
Throughout the last 35 years, every time the Quebec government tightened its language and culture hold there was economic drop-off in the form of migrations out of the province, a measured and pronounced BRAIN-DRAIN, particularly among qualified Anglophone university graduates, increases to unemployment and poverty numbers, increased debt, decreased GDP... We’ve had zero private sector growth in this province for well more than a decade. Statistics don’t lie and the public NEEDS this data to properly evaluate this proposed piece of legislation.
Rationale The Quebec business model needs an overhaul that is what Bill 14 CLEARLY demonstrates. We have political leaders who simply do not understand the fundamentals of the NEW global economic era. This, more than anything is what needs to come out of these committee hearings on Bill 14.
Recommendations
ALLiance Quebec 2.0 recommends Bill 14 be scrutinized by economists with international credentials before being rushed through the National Assembly and passed. If this Bill does prove to further erode Quebec’s GDP then we ARE obligated to redraft/reconsider its place in 21st Century Quebec.
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