public finances Archives

Can we afford a strong health and social service system? – Part 2

17 April 2023 |

When it comes to investing in public services, the political class is quick to dish up the same old phony pragmatism: there’s no money in the coffers (apart from the occasional band-aid measure) and money doesn’t grow on trees. In the first article in our series “Can we afford a strong health and social service system?” we looked at the state of public finances to rebut the first claim. This time we consider the revenue sources our government could draw upon to ensure better funding of the public health and social service system.

Can we afford a strong health and social service system? Part 1

3 April 2023 |

When it comes to investing in public services, the political class is quick to dish up the same old phony pragmatism: there’s no money in the coffers (apart from the occasional band-aid measure) and money doesn’t grow on trees. In this first article in our series “Can we afford a strong health and social service system?” we assess the first of these claims by looking at Québec’s current financial situation as outlined in the 2023-2024 budget. And as for the question of whether money grows on trees, stay tuned for our next article on the sources of revenue available to the government.

Fighting tax havens has never been more urgent

17 July 2020 |

In addition to the current health crisis, we will soon be facing a major crisis in public finances. Maintaining the social safety net that has been so invaluable these past few months will be no small feat. Our governments must not under any circumstances let the wealthiest among us duck their tax obligations. There’s a tool available to make the governments’ task easier.

Québec budget for 2019-2020: what change?

25 March 2019 |

The budget tabled in Québec City had raised a lot of expectations. Would it come through with the changes promised by the CAQ? Would it ensure proper funding for services? Since Premier Legault asked to be judged on his achievements, the budget would be a good place to start.

Public-private university hospitals: the dice were loaded from the beginning

17 December 2018 |

The public-private partnership (P3) model complicates the process for eliminating occupational health and safety hazards in Montréal’s shiny new university hospitals. Simply obtaining authorizations for the necessary remedial measures is more arduous and time-consuming.

Exorbitant drug costs for how much longer?

16 November 2018 |

A universal public pharmacare plan is one of the solutions advocated by the APTS to ensure better funding for health and social services. What response might we expect from the CAQ government?