Leitao does not want to see Quebec in Portugal's situation The first budget of the Couillard era

“It is important that the state maintains its room for maneuver so that we can decide for ourselves what measures to take. My cousins ​​in Portugal no longer have a choice. Decisions are imposed on them from the outside and they have to adapt. “I want to contribute to ensuring that we can maintain our right to choose,” Quebec's new finance minister, Carlos Leitao, said in an interview on Friday. RDI economics.

When asked how the situation in Quebec compared to that in Greece or Portugal, Mr. Leitao replied: “If we do nothing, if we all go on vacation and let things go, we will be there in five years.”

“The situation is very worrying. We are in a spiral of structural deficit. The economy is not in recession, and yet we have a deficit,” the Finance Minister said.

Although he believes Quebec is rich and has the tools and assets needed for development, Mr. Leitao asserts that “time is running out, because the debt is already high. Not only do we have a deficit, we need to invest in our infrastructure, so the financial pressure is on.” Quebec is huge.

Quebec's GDP, i.e. its total production of goods and services, represents 20% of the Canadian economy, while Quebec's population represents 23% of Canada's population. “A lot of progress has been made in recent years, but there is still a way to go,” says Mr. Leitao, who is scheduled to present his first budget next month.

In politics because of the Charter

However, it was not the state of public finances that pushed Carlos Leitao into politics, but rather the draft Charter of Values ​​drawn up by the Maroa government.

“That was the trigger. I was already thinking about making this leap out of a sense of duty. At the time I was thinking about all of this, the Charter debate got out of hand and I said to myself: ‘We have to do this.’”

Mr. Leitao, who was born in Portugal, says he was well received in Quebec in his youth. He now wants to thank Quebecers by contributing to the province's economic growth.

“I want to show everyone that there is a place for everyone, that we all have an important role to play, and that there is a future.”