Finally!

August 4th, 2012 (translated version published on August 24th)

The UCQ Electoral Platform

Union citoyenne du Qubec Quebec Citizens Union

Authorized by Patrice Bussires, official agent for the UCQ

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preamble .............................................................................................................. 1 Improved Management of our Natural Resources ................................................ 2 Regions that can Handle Themselves .................................................................. 2 Education as the Backbone of our Society ........................................................... 3 A Long-Term Vision for Public Finances ............................................................... 5 A Healthier Quebec............................................................................................... 6 A Sound Environment ........................................................................................... 7 A Diversified Economy .......................................................................................... 9 A Win-Win Immigration ......................................................................................... 9 A Plural Agriculture ............................................................................................. 10 A Fair Democracy ............................................................................................... 10 Equitable Justice ................................................................................................. 11 A Constitution that Represents Quebec .............................................................. 11

Only the core of the French version of the platform has been translated. In case of conflict, the French version prevails.

Authorized by Patrice Bussires, official agent for the Quebec Citizens Union

PREAMBLE
Quebec Citizens Union main objective is to reestablish communication between the government and citizens. We believe in a Quebec where major issues, such as college tuition, sustainable development and reform of the voting system are discussed collectively. We strongly believe that Quebec is ready to develop its own fundamental law. Quebecers can Finally build consensus together rather than creating divisions. We are passionate about Quebec and we know that it can become more fair and prosperous. We also believe it can obtain more from its resources, while offering a better support for ALL its citizens. We propose a more progressive taxation model, equitable criminal measures, ways to control how our natural resources are exploited, more affordable medications and a school system as accessible as possible. We want to better support our entrepreneurs, strengthen and diversify the economy. Finally! Quebecers can fully exploit their wealth, their knowledge and the services available to them. Our party is young, but we have a long-term vision. Foresight in public policy must become standard. We suggest earlier identification of children suffering from learning difficulties to prevent school dropout and more spending in preventive medicine. We want strong and long-lasting public infrastructures and accounting policies unrestricted by the fiscal year and election periods. We want the government to increase its scientific and technical expertise and Finally! take collective decisions that will last a generation instead of a mandate. We are from all over Quebec and we understand that each community has its own needs and its own identity. We want a bidirectional relationship with new Quebecers, where they can better integrate into our society, linguistically, socially and professionally, while enriching Quebec culture. We want each region to be more independent to deal with its own challenges. We recognize the diversity of voices in agriculture. Furthermore, we wish to acknowledge the primary role of Anglophone and Aboriginal communities in Quebec and believe they need their own place in our society. Finally!, we thrive to create a Quebec where every citizen can recognize themselves. We want a Quebec in which we all belong. You can be part of a party where we are all heard: Quebec Citizens Union. Finally!

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Theme 1

IMPROVED MANAGEMENT OF OUR NATURAL RESOURCES

The Quebec Citizens Union proposes to: 1. Increase public expertise in sustainable management of natural resources, through the purchase of advanced information technologies (for forest management, for example), by hiring specialists and the establishment of competent committees to overview natural resources. These committees will be responsible for conducting impact studies and will guide governmental decisions in the allocation of contracts. They will also establish the frameworks in which natural resources may be extracted. 2. Reform the way the state allows the exploitation of our natural resources, which will result in a model where long-term consequences are studied and where those consequences will be beneficial for the entire society. In the future, the government will evaluate the status of resources and will determine with the regional government which resources should be exploited. It will then prepare a list of criteria to be met in order to exploit a concession, such as, environmental parameters, the level at which resources should be transformed in Quebec, amounts of royalties, etc. A call for bids will then be launched for the companies, in which they will compete. The company offering the most additional benefits to the community in exchange for the exploitation of the resource will obtain the contract. The chosen company and the government will sign a binding agreement governing the operation of the resource. Sanctions, such as suspension of the rights of the company in case of non-compliance with clauses will be included in the contract. Such contract allocation methods would restore leadership to the government and communities in the management of resources and maximize the benefits derived from the company from their exploitation. 3. Increase fees currently applied per cubic meter of drinking water and impose an official moratorium on the export of bulk water.

Theme 2

REGIONS THAT CAN HANDLE THEMSELVES

The Quebec Citizens Union proposes to: 1. Ask all regional county municipalities (RCMs) to elect their prefect through universal suffrage by 2015; 2. Consolidate the Regional Conference of Elected Officers (CRE) into a new democratic and integrated entity named Regional Table. The RCMs 2
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prefects, one representative from each municipality outside a RCM, also elected by universal suffrage, as well as a delegate from every Indian nation on the regional territory, would have a seat on the Regional Table. Any other person previously present in the CRE would not sit at the Regional Table. Table members would choose a chairman among them; 3. Regroup under the authority of Regional Table any organism with a regional vocation in order to better integrate interventions in the region; 4. Merge francophone school boards so that there is only one per region, then place it under the authority of the Regional Table which would thus replace the commissioners. English school boards would be excluded from this reform for constitutional reasons and to help Englishspeaking communities to maintain cultural and political autonomy; 5. Provide autonomous financial resources to the Regional Tables and RCMs, according to their respective duties, for example a portion of the royalties on natural resources or of the taxes on gasoline, direct transfers from Quebec, school taxes or other taxes; 6. For Montreal and Laval, design an alternative structure for Regional Tables to reflect the greater integration between municipalities and regions and the absence of RCMs in both cases, by taking examples from the City of Toronto Act in Ontario in order to provide more flexibility in these metropolitan areas.

Theme 3

EDUCATION AS THE BACKBONE OF OUR SOCIETY

Axis I. A General Formation that Focuses on the Student
The Quebec Citizens Union proposes to: 1. Make an objective assessment of the Education Reform established 15 years ago by asking a parliamentary committee to study its weaknesses and strengths. This will in turn allow the government to better guide the actions necessary to optimize educational content and pedagogical approaches, as well as providing the supervision tools necessary for the well-being of each student; 2. Maximize human and financial resources available in the first years at school and kindergarten. Acting effectively in early childhood, we can better understand the strengths and challenges each student faces in a preventive perspective. It will thus be possible to properly accompany the student to prevent persistence of problems that can be corrected. In

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addition, we would reduce the backlogs that could lead to student failure or dropping out later in their journey.
3. Provide a more appropriate framework for teachers whose students have difficulties reducing the maximum number of students per class in schools located in sensitive environments. The maximum size of the class for primary and secondary schools should be established from measurable socio-economic criteria, such as the neighborhood average family income, the dropout rate, the rate of juvenile crime and needs related to the integration of newcomers. 4. Progressively decentralize decision-making authority and budget management to schools while consolidating on a regional basis the administrative structures of school boards. French school boards would remain regional intermediate between the MELS and schools, but would be devoted to administrative roles (allocation of contracted positions, payrolls, grouped material purchases, building maintenance, government communications, etc.). Thus, pedagogical orientations, support staff hiring, particular needs management and specific expenses would entirely be under the responsibility of principals and school committees. Such decentralization will allow greater efficiency, greater transparency and less bureaucratic expenses. Then again, English school boards would not be included in this regional integration.

Axis II. Accessible Higher Education Regarding reimbursement formulas, the Quebec Citizens Union proposes to:
1. Minimize university tuition fees to be paid while studying in favor of a system of an income contingent repayment. Specifically, the student would pay only the base administrative costs of each session during his studies. He would then gradually repay the difference between that price and the actual cost of his tuitions through his tax return, paying for example 2% of his annual salary, up to a full refund. This spreading of the debt would only be offered for the normal duration of a degree plus four sessions; beyond this delay, the student would be charged tuition fees as currently; 2. Offer, in areas where labor shortages are significant, tax credit to students in exchange for a commitment to work in Quebec after graduation; 3. Allow student organizations who agree to it, after a referendum among all their members, to share students debt within an educational institution. This would merge in a single account all fees to be paid by all members, rather than having each individual pay for his

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expenses. Students would then agree to repay this collective debt in proportion to their future income, following the formula they determine.
4. Examine the possibility of creating a "Postsecondary Education Fund" to gradually replace banks in the management of students loans granted through the Loans and Bursaries program;

In terms of fees, the Quebec Citizens Union proposes to:

5. End the current social crisis by declaring a temporary moratorium on tuition increases, then holding national negotiations involving government, students, universities, unions, civil society and experts on the issue of education funding, as to find a mutually satisfactory solution; 6. If the national negotiation comes to the conclusion that an increase is necessary, bring gradually, without exceeding a 4% annual increase, tuition fees paid by students to 15% of the total cost of their education. Future fees, as well as loans and grants, should in all cases be indexed annually. For the UCQ, the fundamental objective in the long term remains to provide the best education possible at the best possible cost;

To monitor the universities administration, the Quebec Citizens Union proposes to:
7. Support the establishment of a Universities Evaluation Committee with a mandate to monitor the performance of universities, the respect of their fundamental missions, and their use of public funds.

Theme 4

A LONG-TERM VISION FOR PUBLIC FINANCES

The Quebec Citizens Union proposes to: 1. Maintain a balanced budget in good economic times by: a) Requiring greater transparency from Crown corporations as of their financial administration, in order to reduce wastes; b) Revising the mechanisms of public call for tenders to focus on the quality and durability of structures before seeking the lowest price, in order to reduce medium and long term maintenance and repair costs; c) Working with other provinces to reduce the cost of common products and services by establishing structures for joint 5
Authorized by Patrice Bussires, official agent for the Quebec Citizens Union

purchases, saving on volume, for example to purchase drugs or public vehicles; 2. Increase the number of tax levels from 3 to 10, to allow a better distribution of wealth and a fair and equitable contribution of every citizen. Such a measure would reduce the impact associated with the transition from one level to another, for example due to a wage increase, and would garner more than a billion dollars per year. 3. Appoint a committee within the Department of Revenue to simplify tax returns of individuals, with the aim to make it fit on one page, only to ease the burden on taxpayers, but also to reduce the bureaucracy. This simplification could be achieved by combining credits and contributions and creating integrated calculus grids; the not tax tax

4. Gradually establish a culture of multi-year accounting, to develop foresight in assessing needs and expenses and avoid unnecessary or precipitated expenses near the end of the year to exhaust remaining budgets.

Theme 5

A HEALTHIER QUEBEC
Axis I. A System Focused on Real Needs The Quebec Citizens Union proposes to: 1. Endorse officially the protection and primacy of a public health system, which should be efficient and accessible to all; 2. Develop a diversified policy of prevention to develop healthier behaviors for physical, mental and social dimensions. Among others, the UCQ suggests to: a) implement programs and activities related to health in primary and secondary educational curricula; b) intensify efforts to prevent cancer, diabetes and heart disease through information campaigns and the CLSCs; 3. Continue implementing Family Medicine Groups (FMGs), by, among others, facilitating accreditation and adding resources for nurses, and strengthen their role for preventive medicine in Quebec; 4. Facilitate access to the practice of health professional foreigners, mandating professional organizations to establish more realistic and 6
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practical equivalence criteria, and providing accessible ways to fill any gaps in their training (supervised internships, trainings, etc.). Foreign doctors will be more effectively integrated in hospitals to alleviate acute shortages in primary cares, and they will be positively accompanied to enable them to adapt quickly and completely to our standards. Axis II. More Affordable Drugs The Quebec Citizens Union proposes to: 1. Proceed with the nationalization of drug insurances, so that all citizens are covered by the same insurance service, while making it more generous and self-financing through tax returns; 2. Proceed with the nationalization of drugs supply in order to buy them at the lowest possible cost. The new purchase cooperative will deal with several suppliers worldwide to reduce the risk of disruption and exert downward pressure on prices; 3. Negotiate with other Canadian provinces to purchase drugs through groups including the purchasing cooperative of Quebec, with the aim of achieving economies of scale; 4. Gradually reduce subsidies to pharmaceutical research allocated to private companies in Quebec, particularly those who closed down their laboratories, to the benefit of studies in public and academic institutions.
Theme 6

A SOUND ENVIRONMENT
The Quebec Citizens Union proposes to: In terms of exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons: 1. Impose a moratorium on the exploration and exploitation of shale gas in Quebec, until it has been demonstrated that their use is safe for the environment and the public, and until the techniques used by the industry are properly monitored, particularly in regard to waste management and repair of environmental damage; 2. Impose a moratorium on the exploitation of oil and allow the state to gradually recover oil claims so as to constitute a national reserve of oil, kept untouched for later on. Since oil, in addition to its use as fuel, is also used in the manufacturing of many essential products (plastics, drugs, substances of common utility), this reserve will in time allow Quebec to fulfill its needs when the global reserves are exhausted. 7
Authorized by Patrice Bussires, official agent for the Quebec Citizens Union

As of emissions of greenhouse gases: 3. Introduce a carbon tax that would apply to heating devices running on oil and coal. This tax will gradually reduce the tax rate for the consumption and production of greener energies (hydro, geothermal, wind, etc.). 4. Establish a system of bonuses and penalties applicable to the sale of vehicles in Qubec. This measure aims to offer a discount (bonus) when buying new cars with low fuel consumption, coupled with a surtax (penalty) on high-consumption vehicles. The policy should be selffinancing, with penalties compensating for discounts; For recycling: 5. Establish a deposit of $ 0.20 for glass containers as follow: bottles of water (fresh water, mineral water and flavored water), bottles of alcohol including wine bottles - bottles of juice and energy drinks. Any deposit for other existing containers would also be brought to $ 0.20, except for those for which it is already higher; 6. For bottles of wines and spirits, demand that the Socit des alcools du Qubec undertakes deposit refund and recovering of empty containers; In terms of sustainable economic development: 7. Convene a National Summit on Sustainable Development to establish a comprehensive reorientation of the Quebec economy for the next 20 years, bringing together civil society, unions, employers, scientists and citizens, and be committed to implement its conclusions; 8. Gradually reorient consumption taxes by modulating them to tax pollutants, extreme wrapping and excessive consumption, and reducing taxes on sustainable alternatives; 9. Create fiscal incentives for start-ups in the areas of green economy (alternative energy, new materials, green transportation, etc.), and encourage scientific and technology research that will lead to a reduction in environmental impacts.

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Theme 8

A DIVERSIFIED ECONOMY
The Quebec Citizens Union proposes to: 1. Strengthen the powers and budgets of Regional Conferences of Elected Officials (or Regional Tables) so that they can actively support the autonomous development of businesses and projects tailored to their regional realities, such as within the ACCORD program; 2. Increase the proportion of the investment portfolio of the Caisse de dpt et placement devoted to resource processing companies in Quebec and Quebec SMEs that are most likely to gain momentum; 3. Provide access to more affordable and flexible financing to young entrepreneurs and start-up SMEs, notably through loans at low interest rates so that they can more effectively penetrate the market, and to limit debt that may constrain their growth; 4. Gradually transfer some subsidies from large companies to SMEs that are the most efficient and innovative to boost the diversity of the Quebec economy and support entrepreneurship; 5. Strengthen canvassing policies to have the products of Quebec companies known abroad and to help finance exports; 6. Dedicate a larger portion of funding resources to start-up cooperatives and social economy enterprises; 7. Establish a policy in which employers of an employee at home for private, personal or familial services (gardening, security, cleaning, etc.) receive a tax deduction to increase the clientele of these self-employed people.

Theme 8

A WIN-WIN IMMIGRATION
The Quebec Citizens Union proposes to: 1. Change the immigrants selection Quebec grid, which currently focuses on male-dominated jobs, for another that would put men and women on an equal footing to attract a balanced immigration adapted to Quebec's needs; 2. Develop an action plan and adopt concrete equivalence standards for the rapid integration of immigrants in occupations for which they were trained. To do this, the government should sit with the various 9
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professional organizations so that they soften their approaches to immigrant professionals, to increase their access to the labor market and provide mixed integration structures combining professional practice, mentoring and training. In addition, the government should meet with all stakeholders to develop a concerted policy to fight against the deskilling of educated immigrants; 3. Restore the funds allocated to French courses for immigrants and improve their socio-professional integration through courses, workshops and trainings to enable them to integrate better in all regards; 4. Reconsider the conclusions of the Bouchard-Taylor report to harmonize relations between Quebec's cultural communities.

Theme 9

A PLURAL AGRICULTURE
The Quebec Citizens Union proposes to: 1. Establish a working committee to update the Pronovost report, and make a commitment to really evaluate the recommendations it contains; 2. Particularly, abolish the current union monopoly of the Union des producteurs agricoles so that all agricultural stakeholders of Quebec are entitled to a representation adapted to their scale of production and their agricultural profile.
Theme 10

A FAIR DEMOCRACY
The Quebec Citizens Union proposes to: 1. Reform the voting system of Quebec. In order to avoid confining itself from the beginning in a closed position, which could hamper a reform to be carried out in collaboration with all parties, the UCQ will support any reform including preferential choice, mixed proportional suffrage or two elected Chambers, one being representative on a territorial basis and the other being proportional; 2. Amend the law to enable a German-type vote of no confidence, which allows to undo a minority government without incurring elections if a new Prime Minister is elected by the majority of MNAs; 3. Change the law so that the elections take place on a fixed date;

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4. Work with any party having similar goals and make it, if necessary, a condition to support such a party; 5. Fix to 3.5 times the median salary of Quebec the budget allocated to MNAs to pay for their employees, and fix the salary of the deputy himself to 2 times the median salary of Quebec. Allowances paid to MNAs for their expenses would also be indexed to the new salary from the current proportions.
Theme 11

EQUITABLE JUSTICE
The Quebec Citizens Union proposes to amend the Civil Code of Quebec so that offenders are liable to a fine equal to a percentage of their personal income. This punishment proportional to the ability to pay would be supplemented by a minimum fine equal to the annual minimum wage.
Theme 12

A CONSTITUTION THAT REPRESENTS QUEBEC

The UCQ proposes to: 1. Submit to the National Assembly a draft Constitution of Quebec including, among others: a) All provisions of the Canadian constitution relating to Quebec, in accordance with the possibilities offered by the current constitutional order; b) The definition of the democratic contract between the people of Quebec and its elected representatives, namely but not limited to the functioning of our representative institutions and a renewed electoral system; c) The Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms of Quebec (1975) (RSQ, chapter C-12); d) The Charter of the French Language (1977) (RSQ, c. C-11), including all clauses protecting the historic rights of Anglophone communities of Quebec; 2. Advance the draft constitution in Quebec legislative framework, using popular consultations and working with other provincial parties who are willing to;

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3. Request the proposal for Quebec constitution, once duly accepted by the National Assembly, to be subjected to a referendum vote by the people of Quebec to be fully and democratically endorsed by it.

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