by Stanislas Jourdan | Feb 4, 2016 | News
Long-time supporter of basic income François Blais has been appointed back as Minister of Employment and Social Solidarity and tasked to work on Guaranteed minimum income.
As a consequence of a ministerial reshuffle, François Blais has been displaced from the ministry of Education back to Québec’s Ministry of Employment and Social Solidarity.
Blais had previously been appointed Minister of Employment and Social Solidarity after the April 2014 General Election in Canada’s province. One year ago he was appointed to the Ministry of Education.
“Minister François Blais will work on the improvement of our income support instruments in the direction of a guaranteed minimum income, a field in which he has strong expertise,” Québec’s Prime Minister Philippe Couillard explained in a statement to the press.
“I am serious about it” said Couillard in an interview. “We look at what other countries are doing like in Finland. I find the idea very seductive.”
“On the one hand it simplifies the State, on the other it maintains people’s dignity. The combinaison is excessively interesting.”
Blais is BIEN member since the 1990s. He investigated the concept while holding the post of Professor of Political Science at Laval University, Québec City. In 2002 he co-wrote a book entitled Ending Poverty: A Basic Income for All Canadians, and he reiterated his support for basic income when he joined the government in 2014.
“A perfect political storm”
The ministry reshuffle may indicate a change of direction for the liberal government led by Couillard. Blais’ predecessor Sam Hamad has been pushing a reform which would involve more sanctions to unemployed people who would refuse job opportunities. The bill has sparked a lot of criticism among anti-poverty group and leftist parties in Québec.
“It’s the perfect political storm and Quebec is in the unique position to lead what could be the most fundamental change in western social policy since the introduction of medicare.” comments Peter Wheeland on CultMontreal.com.
Blais’s reappointment however does not make unanimity. In particular, the Left-Independentist and pro-basic income party Québec Solidaire expressed its concerns with the return of Blais to the Ministry for Social Affairs. Blais himself was heavily criticized during his first mandate as Minister for pushing cuts in social benefits.
by Liam Upton | May 15, 2015 | News
A new Basic Income group has launched in Québec province, called ‘Revenu de Base Québec’.
At the moment, the movement consists of web, Facebook and Twitter pages. The web page includes numerous useful resources including a ‘Stories‘ page, with examples of how Basic Income could help real people, from a recent widow and her family to newlyweds with young children. There is also a videography and other resources.
The movement will work alongside the recently relaunched, Basic Income Canada Network.
For more information, see:
Language: French
Revenu de Base Québec, official website
by Yannick Vanderborght | Jul 17, 2014 | News
François Blais - Photo: OIF, via Le Devoir
In a an interview with the daily newspaper Le Devoir (30 June 2014), François Blais – who was appointed Minister of Employment and Social Solidarity after the April 2014 General Election in Quebec – cautiously reiterates his support for basic income. As BIEN was holding its international conference in Montreal, Blais stressed the fact that a thorough reform of Quebec’s social model would be most welcome, provided it would include the introduction of a “guaranteed minimum income” for all. Blais also insisted on the fact that this was not an official statement of the Quebec’s government, but rather his own position on this issue. In 2001, Blais had published an introductory book on basic income in French, which was translated into English in 2002: “Ending Poverty. A Basic Income for all Canadians” (Lorimer Publishing).
The interview can be found here (in French).
by Yannick Vanderborght | Apr 24, 2014 | News
A general election was held in Québec (Canada) on April 7th, 2014. The Parti Libéral du Québec (PLQ), under the lead of Philippe Couillard, won the elections, and now has 70 seats at the National Assembly – enough to form a majority government. On April 23rd, 2014, the new Premier, Philippe Couillard, officially unveiled his cabinet, with no less than 26 ministers.
Among them is François Blais, who has just been elected as a new MP for the PLQ (in the electoral district of Charlesbourg, in Quebec-city). Blais will be the Minister of Employment and Social Solidarity in the Couillard government.
François Blais -Le journal de la communauté universitaire
François Blais – formerly Dean of Faculty at Laval University, Québec – is a long-standing advocate of basic income, and a Life Member of BIEN. In 2001, he published an introductory book on basic income in French, which was translated into English in 2002: “Ending Poverty. A Basic Income for all Canadians” (Lorimer Publishing).
Basic income, however, was not part of the PLQ platform for this general election. It is doubtful that François Blais, as a Minister of Employment, will be able to put it on the agenda. On April 24, 2014, the daily Le Devoir wrote: “Philippe Couillard appointed François Blais as his Minister of Employment and Social Solidarity. Blais, formerly Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Laval University, is above all an advocate of a guaranteed minimum income. However, the Premier did not give a mandate to the new Minister to implement this ambitious reform”.
Further information:
Article in Le Devoir (in French)
CBC report (in English)
