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PQ PLATFORM 1994

SOVEREIGNTY

As Quebecers, we should be masters in our own house, masters of our destiny. We should give ourselves all the instruments to become fully responsible for all political decisions, internally as well as on the international scene. In order to do this, we have to free ourselves from the constraints of a federal system that serves us poorly, that will always put our national interests after those of others.

Quebec sovereignty means that:

These three elements: taxes, laws and treaties, encompass all government activity both within Quebec and on the international scene. The Parti Québécois has already determined the principal steps it will take in leading Quebec to sovereignty when it is called upon to form the government of Quebec. The steps are as follows:

Until it is elected to form the next government, the Parti Québécois will promote sovereignty by demonstrating its concrete advantages.

Once elected, a Parti Québécois government will:

As quickly as possible, the government will ask the population, through a referendum, to speak on the sovereignty of Quebec and the constitutional mechanisms that would make the exercise of that sovereignty possible. This referendum will be the act that will bring into being a sovereign Quebec.

The Quebec government will also propose mutually advantageous forms of economic association to the federal government. These proposals will include the institution of joint bodies, established through treaties, to manage the economic relationship between Canada and Quebec.

International relations

The ability to sign treaties and to become fully involved on the international scene constitutes the most important prerogative of the modern states. Quebec will be no exception to the rule and will join the network of international relations which negotiates bilateral, continental and international trade agreements that form the basis of the new world economic order. In addition, Quebec must take measures to guarantee the security of its territory; in this context, it will have armed forces proportionate to its size and needs.

A Parti Québécois government will:

The English-speaking community

The Parti Québécois has always recognized the contribution and historic role of the English-speaking community in the development and evolution of Quebec. This community is also an invaluable asset to a sovereign nation in that, with it, Quebec has access to two great cultures. A sovereign Quebec would therefore adopt measures and policies that will reconcile the legitimate aspirations of both French-speaking and English-speaking groups.

A Parti Québécois government will:

Aboriginal peoples

Aboriginal peoples will have a special status in a sovereign Quebec. They will be guaranteed the ways and means necessary to preserve their traditions and strengthen their culture. Negotiated governmental autonomy will be the cornerstone of this new social contract between the Quebec nation and Aboriginal nations, as well as a way for them to participate in the development of Quebec. First nations that wish to do so will be able to organize responsible governments with powers over taxation, joint territorial management and social and economic development.

A Parti Québécois government will:

Immigration and integration

Quebec has always welcomed immigration. Sovereignty will allow Quebec to make immigration a source of economic, social, cultural and political enrichment, as well as clarify the often uncomfortable situation of many new Quebecers who feel a dual allegiance to Quebec and to Canada. Candidates for immigration will henceforth make a firm choice to come to a French-speaking country. Quebec society will draw on its tradition of openness to facilitate the smooth integration of newcomers. Quebec will also encourage immigrants to settle throughout the territory.

A Parti Québécois government will:

Citizenship

Each country determines who are its citizens and to whom it grants citizenship. In the context of a sovereign Quebec, a Parti Québécois government will award Quebec citizenship to:

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF RESOURCES

Spiralling unemployment rates, debt, poverty and pollution have forced us to realize that we must reevaluate our approach to development. Our efforts to overcome this crisis should therefore not be limited to implementing a conventional economic development strategy. Rather, we must use development as an essential tool for building a society that offers greater social solidarity and a better quality of life.

In this context, the principle of sustainable development promoted by the World Commission on Environment and Development offers an alternative solution to the many problems we face. In fact, this concept refers to a process of change in which resource use, investment choices and institutional change work together to strengthen the present and future potential for satisfying human needs.

The success of our sustainable development policy therefore rests on a dynamic equilibrium between the three following poles: economic prosperity, social equity and respect for the environment.

Economic activity

An original economic development model, based on the collective will to take charge of our own affairs, is ever more present in Quebec. This model combines a host of government actions, initiatives by dynamic entrepreneurs and cooperative actions in many sectors of activity. The strategy developed by the Parti Québécois proposes modernizing economic activity by creating regional development funds that will support manpower training and research and development. It is also important to stimulate the emergence of regional investment corporations with tax incentives that encourage the consolidation of regional savings and the investment of risk capital.

A Parti Québécois government will:

Full employment

An increase in the gross national product is not the only way of measuring and evaluating economic growth. This is why we believe it is vital and urgent to target full employment as the primary objective of the Parti Québécois' economic policy. This objective is a project of solidarity in which the government's role is to supervise a massive, sustained national effort. The state is thus catalyst and coordinator of a joint effort, working in collaboration with representatives of management, labour unions and all those who wish to contribute to this project.ic growth. This is why we believe it is vital

A full employment policy must include three distinct components. First, macro-economic management of the economy by the state, in close association with the institutions which represent socio-economic partners on a national level. Next, an active employment policy developped and administered primarily by local and regional commissions. Finally, a regional economic development policy aimed at job creation and controlled primarily by regions and local authorities.

A Parti Québécois government will:

Decentralization and regional development

Increasingly, the promotion of local initiative is proving more important to medium and long-term regional development than the massive injection of investments in mega-projects that often have no relationship with the local economic fabric. The development of the economy and employment in each region is therefore essential to the economic development of Quebec as a whole.

The will to return the responsibility for development to the grass roots, the recuperation of powers because of sovereignty and the consequences of trade liberalization will constitute the new ground rules calling for the remaking of a regional development policy. The change will be marked by a new distribution of powers between the national government and the regions, and by the establishment of mechanisms that will allow the regions to assume a larger share of responsibility for their economic, social and cultural development.

In order to accomplish this decentralization smoothly, a Parti Québécois government will initiate discussions and negotiations with representatives of various decisional levels on the modalities, extent, scheduling and absorptive capacity of this new distribution of power.

Regional development policy will be built around the MRCs (Regional county municipalities), which will become decisional centers as they inherit newly-decentralized powers, on the one hand, and around the larger region, which has a special role in ensuring more harmonious regional development through cooperative action, on the other.

A Parti Québécois government will:

Research and development

Only societies that choose to invest massively in research and development (R&D) will be leaders in a world where full employment and environmental protection are urgent concerns and free trade is increasingly the norm.

Between 1976 and 1985, under its first science policy, the Parti Québécois government adopted a variety of measures aimed at making universities and businesses more dynamic. Overall R&D expenditures increased by nearly 50% in Quebec during this period, from 0.9% of the gross domestic product (GDP) to 1.33%. This progression has since slowed.

We must therefore act quickly to consolidate and intensify our R&D efforts. It is particularly regrettable that the strengths that Quebec has begun to build in this field are constantly undermined by the inequity of federal government policies. For example, in 1990 Ontario received 51% of the federal government's R&D funds, while Quebec received only 19%.

A Parti Québécois government will:

Public finances

Sound public finances can be achieved primarily by increasing government revenues, based on the development of full employment and the fight against the underground economy, but also through the rationalization of government spending. We must also carry out an in-depth revision of the present taxation system.

Not only do the two levels of government neutralize their action in interminable conflicts (with the attendant costs), they also duplicate costly services and departments. In the fiscal maze, Quebec taxpayers have lost control of their tax dollars.

A Parti Québécois government will:

Energy efficiency

Energy efficiency will be a clear priority and a fundamental policy objective of a Parti Québécois government. Clearly, new needs must first be met by increasing efficiency rather than increasing the volume of energy production. Transportation is also a key sector of the energy policy. In 1990, for example, transportation was responsible for nearly two thirds of energy consumption in Quebec.

A Parti Québécois government will:

Waste management

Waste management is at the heart of any real sustainable development policy because it involves questions of energy, resource conservation and protection of the biophysical environment. A Parti Québécois government will establish an integrated waste management policy based on the 3Rs: reduction, re-use and recycling.

A Parti Québécois government will:

Forest management

The forest is an essential element in maintaining ecological equilibrium. But if Quebec is to regain its status as a major wood-producer, it has to consider the forest as a complex, living environment that must be managed efficiently.

A Parti Québécois government will:

Secure food supply

The Parti Québécois government's policy of self sufficiency in food production and the measures it adopted greatly stimulated the growth of Quebec's agro-alimentary sector. The total disinterest and lack of vision of the government that followed resulted in a major decline in agriculture. A reorientation is necessary if we are to give second wind to this sector, so vital for a sovereign nation. The time has come to focus our attention on a policy that will guarantee a secure food supply.

In addition, we must stop the decline of the fishing industry and make it more profitable in order to keep people from leaving maritime regions. A Parti Québécois government will therefore decentralize decision-making powers and grants for this industry towards Gaspesie, the Iles-de-la-Madeleine and the Cote-Nord.

A Parti Québécois government will:

DEVELOPING HUMAN POTENTIAL

The development of human potential is based on the satisfaction of basic needs. Among these needs are: education and manpower training, learning and knowledge transfer, all of which should become a top social priority with ambitious objectives; health, which must be centered first and foremost on the individual; and social services, where we must adapt our actions to the reality of various contexts.

Education

The educational system is the cradle of society, a unique place for the transmission and development of culture. Values, behavior, attitudes and cultural references, as well as the sense of belonging to Quebec society, are shaped within it. It is crucial that Quebec's education system become the seat of thinking, knowledge and the desire to learn, because there can be no true blueprint for a society without an educational project to inspire and ground it.

Quebec has made progress since the 1960s, but it is clearly not enough. The situation is more serious than we generally imagine. For example, approximately 300,000 Quebecers are illiterate, almost a quarter of citizens over 15 years of age have less than nine years of education, and a third of our young people drop out before finishing secondary school.

A Parti Québécois government will do everything in its power to mobilize the public and the world of education. Only by adopting a dynamic and innovative strategy will Quebec be able to meet the challenge of building a modern, demanding, public, secular, educational system that is really accessible to everyone and truly committed to excellence.

A Parti Québécois government will:

Professional training

Countries that have invested wisely in their human resources will be the leaders of the future. With the objective of full employment, professional training will become the key element in a human resources management and planning strategy. We must also promote the advantages of vocational training for young people, who have tended to discount this choice over the last few years. There are presently fewer than 20,000 young people registered in professional training in our school districts, compared with more than 100,000 some twenty years ago.

Professional training must therefore be made an important part of the strategy for modernizing the Quebec economy by involving government, employers, labor unions and educational institutions to facilitate the transition from school to work.

A Parti Québécois government will:

Health and social services

Our public health system, based on free and universal services, has greatly improved the health of Quebecers. And, contrary to what is sometimes rumored, the cost of our system is comparable with that of countries like France, Sweden or the Netherlands. However, we must make a concerted effort to reduce the considerable gaps that still exist between different segments of the population in terms of health and life expectancy.

We must also try to humanize services, encourage small units such as local community clinics and encourage the involvement of caregivers and users with a real decentralization of decision-making.

A Parti Québécois government will:

Social solidarity

We must take immediate action against worsening disparities within our society as well as the tendency to question social solidarity. The government must therefore adapt its policies, develop more flexible means of action and re-evaluate its mechanisms for the redistribution of wealth to face new realities. A number of measures must be initiated in the areas of family policy, income security, the fight against poverty and community action.

A Parti Québécois government will:

Some of these measures will require the reformulation of many federal and provincial programs now in effect. Sovereignty will allow Quebec to build an effective family policy. In addition, certain services such as old age pensions, veterans' pensions and financial aid to Aboriginal peoples, presently funded by Quebec taxes paid to Ottawa will henceforth be guaranteed by Quebec.

Humanization of the work environment

The Parti Québécois intends to put an end to privilege and arbitrariness and to build a more just and cohesive society in which relations between people and groups will be founded on cooperation and respect. We also add the objective of humanizing work and employment to this process of democratization.

A Parti Québécois government will:

Equal opportunities

Respect, equal opportunity and equal rights for men and women should be a constant concern of any responsible government. In addition to consolidating the gains made by women over the past years, we must open new avenues so that equality is no longer a simple rallying cry but a reality on which our children can build their future.

A Parti Québécois government will:

The role of youth

The commitment to equality must also help close the generation gap. A Parti Québécois government will demonstrate its firm commitment to making a place for youth by giving them access to high quality modern training, facilitating their entry into the work force and supporting them concretely in their quest for excellence.

A Parti Québécois government will:

The participation of senior citizens

We must also ensure that senior citizens can continue to participate in the life of the collectivity. In fact, the major problem facing this group is not aging in itself (most people over 65 years of age remain active past 80) but social marginalization that helps create conditions of dependency.

A Parti Québécois government will:

JUSTICE AND THE PROTECTION OF INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS

The Parti Québécois's project for tomorrow's society will be characterized by a number of Quebec Charters, the principles of wich will be enshrined in the Constitution.

Charters

The Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms was adopted by the Government of Quebec nearly twenty years ago to fight all forms of social discrimination and protect the privacy of citizens. Considered one of the most progressive charters in the world, it will be further strengthened with its integration into the constitution.

The Charter of the French Language, seriously weakened by a number of Supreme Court of Canada decisions, will be reinstated in its entirety and strengthened.

An Environment Charter will also be adopted by a Parti Québécois government. A tool for government action on environmental matters, this Charter will be to the environment what the Charter of the French Language is to language. It will be based on the five following principles: the environment as a collective resource, sustainable development as an indicator of progress and well-being, the right to information and education, the decentralization of power and pacifism.

Fair and accessible justice

The justice system is a fundamental component of our democratic society and the confidence of citizens in its institutions provides the very basis for its operation. In order to maintain and increase this confidence, it is important to simplify the judicial system which ordinary citizens increasingly perceive as having nothing to do with their lives, and to ensure that civil and criminal laws are more familiar to the public, and that they are always in step with the evolution of our society.

A Parti Québécois government will:

Finally, in order to avoid any legal vacuum when Quebec becomes sovereign, a Parti Québécois government will propose that the National Assembly maintain federal laws until it amends or recasts them. In this way, it is possible to guarantee the continuity of judicial procedures that involve the federal justice system during the transition to sovereignty.

CULTURE AND COMMUNICATIONS

Communications are at the heart of the cultural and social mutations of the late twentieth century. Radio, the press, but especially television and associated technologies have an ever-increasing influence on the behavior of modern societies. In order to ensure good communication within these societies, we must have common references that let us understand each other. Our culture and our language express these common references, which must be strong in order to face the challenge of global markets.

Building a dynamic culture i> continue retirement, old age security and guaranteed income supplement programs;

  • adapt public transport to the needs of the elderly;
  • protect senior citizens from violence.

    JUSTICE AND THE PROTECTION OF INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS

    The Parti Québécois's project for tomorrow's society will be characterized by a number of Quebec Charters, the principles of wich will be enshrined in the Constitution.

    Charters

    The Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms was adopted by the Government of Quebec nearly twenty years ago to fight all forms of social discrimination and protect the privacy of citizens. Considered one of the most progressive charters in the world, it will be further strengthened with its integration into the constitution.

    The Charter of the French Language, seriously weakened by a number of Supreme Court of Canada decisions, will be reinstated in its entirety and strengthened.

    An Environment Charter will also be adopted by a Parti Québécois government. A tool for government action on environmental matters, this Charter will be to the environment what the Charter of the French Language is to language. It will be based on the five following principles: the environment as a collective resource, sustainable development as an indicator of progress and well-being, the right to information and education, the decentralization of power and pacifism.

    Fair and accessible justice

    The justice system is a fundamental component of our democratic society and the confidence of citizens in its institutions provides the very basis for its operation. In order to maintain and increase this confidence, it is important to simplify the judicial system which ordinary citizens increasingly perceive as having nothing to do with their lives, and to ensure that civil and criminal laws are more familiar to the public, and that they are always in step with the evolution of our society.

    A Parti Québécois government will:

    • create a Supreme Court of Quebec as the highest court in the nation;
    • maintain the Human Rights Court and the Ombudsman;
    • create an Environment Court to hear all cases concerning the application of the Environment Charter;
    • adopt a new Criminal Code reflecting basic public values and including a special section on violent crime;
    • develop alternative models of conflict resolution; increase the use of mediation and develop procedures which encourage out of court settlements of minor disputes;
    • make legal aid more accessible to those who need it by easing eligibility criteria that will be periodically re-evaluated on the basis of fixed parameters;
    • consider developing legal insurance as a way of increasing accessibility of the middle class to essential legal services;
    • periodically re-evalute the admissibility ceiling for the Small Claims Division of the Court of Quebec.

    Finally, in order to avoid any legal vacuum when Quebec becomes sovereign, a Parti Québécois government will propose that the National Assembly maintain federal laws until it amends or recasts them. In this way, it is possible to guarantee the continuity of judicial procedures that involve the federal justice system during the transition to sovereignty.

    CULTURE AND COMMUNICATIONS

    Communications are at the heart of the cultural and social mutations of the late twentieth century. Radio, the press, but especially television and associated technologies have an ever-increasing influence on the behavior of modern societies. In order to ensure good communication within these societies, we must have common references that let us understand each other. Our culture and our language express these common references, which

    Culture is the essence of a people, the very expression of a feeling of belonging to a collectivity. It is manifested in particular ways of living and creating. In the North American context, Quebec culture must continually affirm itself, encourage creation and the expression of its originality, and integrate external influences in order to grow stronger. The Parti Québécois' cultural policy respects creative liberty and the diversity of its forms of expression; it will give the government a mandate to give culture as important and essential a role as economic or social matters.

    A Parti Québécois government will:

    • set aside at least 1% of its budget for culture;
    • abolish all taxes on artistic works and cultural commodities;
    • adopt a Quebec law covering copyrights and related rights;
    • establish a special tax plan that allows artists, creators and performers to anaverage earned income over a ten year period;
    • involve MRCs and municipalities in funding culture;
    • create one or more programs to recognize and encourage public support and patronage of artists and arts institutions;
    • establish a permanent consulting mechanism between professional artists' and performers' associations and the government in order to establish an international cultural cooperation policy and the diffusion of Quebec culture outside Quebec;
    • formally involve professional artists' and performers' associations in policy making and in the budget for cultural production and distribution assistance;
    • increase tax shelters for small and medium businesses which purchase works by Quebec artists;
    • extend the mandate of public libraries to allow these institutions to transform gradually into cultural centres.

    The primacy of the French language

    French is the primary vehicle of Quebec cultural identity, the cornerstone of all learning. It is and will remain Quebec's official language and the basic tool for the integration of newcomers.

    A Parti Québécois government will:

    • abolish Bill 86 and re-establish the French Language Charter in its entirety;
    • strengthen the right to work in French by extending the process of francization to businesses with 10 or more employees;
    • require the mastery of the French language as an essential component of basic education at all levels.

    Control over communications

    Given the extent and nature of federal intervention, Quebec does not presently have full power to act in this field. In order to put an end to this situation which threatens its cultural identity in the long term, Quebec must re-evaluate its approach and recover all the responsibilities and controls now held by Ottawa.

    A Parti Québécois government will:

    • develop the computer and electronic audiovisual sectors, particularly by using the government's purchasing power;
    • affirm the socio-cultural nature of communications by regulating the sector accordingly, and help implement innovative telecommunications systems.
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