Budget 2017-2018

Minister of Finance Carlos Leitão delivered Budget Speech 2017-2018 on March 28, 2017.

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In brief

Education and families

It is essential to invest early in the educational success of our youth

  • An additional allocation of close to $130 million to early childhood in order to:
  • support educational intervention among young children
  • facilitate children’s transition to school
  • support community organizations that offer activities to families
  • develop services geared to the needs of children with disabilities

A plan for perseverance and educational success

  • Additional funding of over $1.8 billion for schools in order to accompany young people and help them achieve success by:
  • enabling them to get off to a good start in kindergarten and first grade
  • giving a boost to elementary schools in order to better support the implementation of response plans for students experiencing difficulties
  • supporting parents in order to prevent learning disabilities
  • enhancing support for students in high school, vocational training and adult education programs
  • supporting initiatives designed to boost literacy and francization

1 500 additional staff for student services starting in September 2017, 7 200 more within the next five years


Higher education

Quality advanced training to move Québec forward

  • Nearly $1.5 billion to better prepare young people for the future in order to:
  • improve the graduation rate and academic success through, among other things, the hiring of more professors in universities
  • offer appropriate support to students with special needs
  • promote attraction of international students
  • encourage partnerships between institutions, concensus building and a regional presence

Investing in quality educational and sports infrastructure

Workforce training

Promote trades that are in demand and encourage young people to train for those trades

An additional investment of $7.5 million is being allocated to the promotion of student engagement as part of Forces AVENIR

  • Nearly $290 million will be used to:
  • support labour market integration for immigrants
    • promote recognition of prior learning and skills
    • increase support for francization efforts in the workplace
    • support the hiring of immigrant workers
  • support continuing education and skills development through better access to:
    • part-time vocational and technical training
    • continuing education and refresher training
  • assist businesses with the management of their labour force
    • help businesses hire, integrate and retain workers
    • promote better labour market integration for women

Pour en savoir plusFind out more, page B.161

Young people are the future of Québec

Health

Additional resources to meet Quebecers’ needs

  • Increased and stable funding:
  • to reduce wait times in hospitals
  • to facilitate access to surgery and diagnostic tests
  • to train a larger number of specialized nurse practitioners
  • to hire more health care practitioners in CHSLDs and for home care
  • to support people with an autism spectrum disorder

Close to $3 billion more for health over two years

  • A FOCUS ON HEALTH PREVENTION
  • Healthy lifestyles at school and at home
  • A suicide prevention strategy
  • Breakfasts will be served in CPEs and fruit and vegetable snacks will be offered to young people in schools in disadvantaged areas

Sustainable mobility

Confirmed support for three major public transit projects

  • Réseau électrique métropolitain (REM)
  • Improvement of commuting flow
  • Montréal métro blue line
  • Improved access to the network in the northeastern sector of Montréal
  • Québec-Lévis bus rapid transit (BRT)
  • A tool for densification and urban renewal
Sustainable transportation: the way of the future

Electricity for transportation of the future

The Écocamionnage program to improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the freight transportation sector

  • Increased funding for public transit throughout Québec
  • $333 million to further support public transit bodies in their development projects
  • Additional support for transportation electrification
  • $70 million more over two years to offer rebates of up to
    $8 000 for the purchase of an electric vehicle

Economic development

Every region of Québec must develop all of its talents and strengths

Research and innovation

  • Over $830 million will be used to stimulate research and innovation, including:
  • $305 million to encourage innovation and the next generation of scientists
  • $180 million to encourage research and innovation in higher education institutions
  • $100 million to create an artificial intelligence super-cluster
  • $117.5 million to implement the life sciences strategy

Pour en savoir plusFind out more, page B.89

Encouraging business investment
Pour en savoir plusFind out more, page B.179

The electricity rate reduction for fostering investment projects is a success: additional investments of $800 million

Entrepreneurship

  • More than $440 million for entrepreneurship and financing for businesses in order to:
  • support the new entrepreneurship action plan
  • develop entrepreneurship among young people
  • promote the start-up and growth of innovative businesses

Pour en savoir plusFind out more, page B.125

Regional economic development

  • Over $520 million will be invested to:
  • create the Fonds d’appui au rayonnement des régions
  • recognize Québec’s national capital status and Montréal’s metropolis status

Pour en savoir plusFind out more, page B.193

Tourism

  • Making tourism a vector of economic development by:
  • supporting major tourism projects
  • increasing support for festivals and events
  • injecting $100 million in Sépaq parks
  • fostering access to tourist attractions for persons with a mobility impairment

Pour en savoir plusFind out more, page 224

Agri-food sector

  • Nearly $160 million for stimulating investment in the agri-food sector in order to:
  • help agricultural producers update their buildings and equipment
  • support innovative agriculture and the food processing industry
  • promote reduced pesticide use
  • promote greenhouse construction

Pour en savoir plusFind out more, page B.201

Forest sector

  • The forest sector will obtain $46 million to:
  • enhance the Programme Innovation Bois
  • support bodies involved in innovation in the forest sector
  • create a platform for developing composite panels and engineered wood products

Pour en savoir plusFind out more, page B.113

The resources of today will serve the generations of tomorrow

To protect the environment and renewable resources,
Québec is making investments in order to:

  • prevent risks associated with coastal erosion
  • promote the replacement of outdated residential septic tanks in the regions and the protection of lakes and rivers
  • offer more support for the caribou management plan and reinvest in wildlife protection
  • foster the renewal of piscicultural and forest resources

Pour en savoir plusFind out more, page B.232

Îles-de-la-Madeleine

Recognizing the insular character of the Îles-de-la-Madeleine

  • Greater tax assistance for inhabitants of the Îles-de-la-Madeleine
  • Enhancement and extension of the additional deduction for the transportation costs of all manufacturing SMEs of the Îles-de-la-Madeleine

Pour en savoir plusFind out more, page B.264




Extension of the RénoVert tax credit to March 31, 2018

The Maritime Strategy

Developing the St. Lawrence River

  • Funding is being provided in order to:
  • create the Centre d’expertise en gestion des risques d’incidents maritimes in the Îles-de-la-Madeleine
  • preserve Lac Saint-Pierre
  • support the development of commercial fishing and aquaculture

Pour en savoir plusFind out more, page B.259

The Plan Nord

Capitalizing on our natural resources

  • New initiatives are making it possible to, in particular:
  • build the Institut nordique du Québec
  • improve the telecommunications network in the Basse-Côte-Nord region
  • install greenhouses in the North for the benefit of local and Aboriginal communities

Pour en savoir plusFind out more, page B.273

Culture

Additional support of $100 million to strengthen Québec’s international action

Pour en savoir plusFind out more, page B.149

  • $113 million for cultural development in order to:
  • support the print media so that it can provide diversified regional, local and community information
  • enhance the tax credit for Québec film and television
    production
  • provide additional support to museums
  • increase support for Québec’s music sector

Pour en savoir plusFind out more, page B.291

Reduction in the tax burden

Quebecers will benefit from a tax reduction

Estimate your tax reduction

  • A reduction of more than $500 in the tax burden on a couple with two equal work incomes of $45 000, taking into account:
  • the elimination of the health contribution
  • the general tax reduction

Helping those in need

  • To combat poverty and social exclusion, more than $300 million will be allocated in order to, among other things:
  • invest in the construction and renovation of 3 000 social housing units
  • encourage the social involvement of vulnerable youth from 16 to 29 years of age
  • combat homelessness

Pour en savoir plusFind out more, page B.35

Governmental action plan to counter elder abuse 2017-2022

  • Aboriginal communities will receive $195 million:
  • $135 million to support their economic, social and community development
  • $60 million for the government’s Aboriginal Social Development Action Plan
  • An additional $82 million for:
  • taking action on gender equality
  • fighting bullying
  • ensuring better access to justice and compensation for crime victims (IVAC)

Additional investment of $80 million over five years in the Support Program for Community Organizations to ensure the health and welfare of the most vulnerable people

The economy is accelerating and creating jobs

Sound management of public finances fosters economic growth and job creation

The economy is growing faster. In 2016, the economic growth rate stood
at 1.7%, the highest rate since 2011.

(percentage change)


A balanced budget for the third year in a row



Québec By The Numbers

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A Message from the Minister of Finance

The March 2017 Québec Economic Plan confirms the soundness of Québec’s finances and the good performance of its economy. It shows that the plan we began implementing in 2014 is working and benefiting all Quebecers. We are doing what we said we would do.

Québec stood out in 2016 with sustained economic growth and job creation, which resulted in a considerable increase in household disposable income. We are going to continue implementing our plan to improve the quality of life of all Quebecers.

However, the international context remains uncertain and we are faced with a number of challenges, be they in relation to demographics or the transformation of our economy. Accordingly, this budget is also marked by prudence. We are taking determined action on levers to position Québec among the most innovative, vibrant economies, that are also the most open to the world and attractive to the best talent. In addition, we are taking action to make Québec a fairer and more prosperous society for everyone.

With this budget, we are investing more in public services, particularly in the educational success of our young people, in better access to the health system and in more quality services. We are also investing in the development of our public transit network. Lastly, we are continuing to ease the tax burden on Quebecers, while maintaining sound public finances and keeping the debt under control.

We are delivering on our commitments by investing more in your priorities. This is a budget for today, but also a budget to build a better future for our children.

Carlos Leitão
Minister of Finance

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