The Economic Consequences of Quebec Sovereignty

This paper reviews the issues that would arise if Quebec were to separate from Canada. It also presents quantitative estimates of the likely orders of magnitude of their economic impact both on Quebec and the Rest of Canada. Its overall conclusion is that Quebec would be much harder hit than the rest of Canada if Quebec separates. Real output in Quebec could easily be depressed in the short run by as much as 10 percent and in the long run by 5 percent. In the short run, the output loss would be triggered by a crisis of confidence resulting from separation. In the long run, output loss would be caused by the required transfer of resources to the foreign sector (necessitated by the elimination of the existing fiscal gain in transactions with the federal government), by the emigration of anglophones, and by higher public debt charges resulting from the increased debt burden. The transfer would be made more difficult by the need to ad just in the soft and dairy sectors and by the probable loss of Churchill Falls's power, but it could be facilitated by increased taxes. For the rest of Canada, the economic costs, which can be quantified, would be substantially lower than for Quebec. And for Canada there also would be some offsetting economic gains. The net short-run costs would only be about one to two percent of GDP and would result mainly from the short-run loss of confidence caused by the separation of Quebec. The long-run quantifiable costs would be small – probably less than the quantifiable benefits.economic impact, Quebec separation, break-up of Canada, Sovereignty-Association

Has Quebec’s Standard of Living Been Catching Up?

Quebec’s relative growth performance with Ontario has always been an issue of concern for economic historians. In his paper Pierre Fortin discusses trends in Quebec’s real domestic income relative to that in Ontario over the last half-century. He finds that per capita real domestic income in Quebec, as a percentage of that in Ontario, fell from 78 per cent in 1926 to 74 per cent at the end of the 1950s, with a particularly steep decline during World War II. After WWII, it then started an upward climb, reaching 86 per cent in 1999, and exhibited a particularly strong performance in the 1975–85 period. Fortin sees the WWII slump related to the proportionally smaller number of men in Quebec enrolled in the armed forces, which reduced the share of overall military pay going to Quebec. He attributes what he calls the big bubble of the 1975–85 period to the strong cyclical expansion associated with a large number of major projects accompanied by a wage explosion. The key development Fortin seeks to explain is the 12 percentage point increase in Quebec’s per capita real domestic income from 74 per cent of that in Ontario in 1960 to 86 per cent in 1999. He decomposes this change into three sources: productivity, employment and the demographic structure, and finds that faster growth in output per worker in Quebec was the most important factor, accounting for 55 per cent of the decline in the gap. In 1999, output per worker in Quebec was 93 per cent of that in Ontario, up from 83 per cent in 1954. Faster growth in the working age population accounted for 35 per cent of the decline in the income gap, and more rapid rate of increase in the employment rate for 10 per cent. Fortin points out that the massive investment Quebec has made in education has greatly reduced that gap in average years of schooling between persons in Quebec and Ontario. Indeed, in 1991 the average 25-year-old man had received more years of schooling in Quebec than in Ontario. This development bodes well for future income growth. Equally, Quebec has also done well in investment in infrastructure and equipment and in research and development. Fortin explains the continued income gap with Ontario by the long gestation period required before the education revolution filters up to all age groups.Canada, Quebec, Ontario, Living Standards, Income, Real Income, Growth, Income Growth, Relative Income, Productivity, World War 2, World War II, WWII, Demographic Structure, Demography, Employment Rate

Aboriginal Education in Quebec: A Benchmarking Exercise

Quebec’s Aboriginal poverty is severe, and the large gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal education levels is the most important factor in explaining it. In the report, the author examines the relationship between education levels and employment for Quebec Aboriginals. Comparing outcomes within the province’s Aboriginal identity groups to results for other Quebecers, and for Canadians overall, Richards finds that the province’s Aboriginal education outcomes rank below the Canadian average, which itself is disturbingly low. Richards makes six broad recommendations to address the crisis in Aboriginal education – in Quebec and the rest of Canada.The Education Papers, Canada, Quebec, Aboriginals, education, employment

What are Canadian Labor Laws as They Relate to Leave Administration, Specifically Military, Disability, FMLA, Vacation and Bereavement?

Question: What are Canadian labor laws as they relate to leave administration, specifically military, disability, FMLA, vacation and bereavement? How do these laws in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec differ from U.S. laws

The National Question in Canada: Quebec

The contemporary conflict between the province of Quebec and the federal government in Canada has recently been a focus of international attention. Quebec is inhabited by a majority group of French-speakers whose ancestry is rooted in Quebec, whose historical religion is Roman Catholicism, and who are known collectively (in French) as “Quebecois.” The conflict involves Quebec’s claim to special recognition as a separate entity—a nation or a “distinct society”—within Canada. This claim clashes with the rights of individuals to express themselves in the official language (French or English) of their choice and also puts in doubt the idea of a national “Canadian” identity

The legal framework for groundwater allocation in Quebec: towards integrated water management

This paper aims at providing a model of the legal framework for groundwater allocation in the province of Quebec (Canada), identifying its potential deficiencies and suggesting possible improvements. In Quebec, groundwater is a res communis. The right to use it is tied to real estate property. This right forms the basis of the legal framework for the management of groundwater quantity. However, according to statutory law, the actual use of groundwater also depends on governmental authorisations that limit quantities used. The main statutory instrument for managing the resource is the Groundwater Catchment Regulation (GWCR), which aims at conflict prevention between first users and new users by means of governmental authorisations. In agricultural areas, an additional authorisation regime indirectly prioritises agricultural groundwater uses. Finally, legal mechanisms addressing conflicts between water users rely on the general litigation framework provided by Quebec law without establishing an order of priority for the different uses of the resource. According to Integrated Water Resources Management, four aspects of the legal framework for groundwater quantity management can be modified to increase the efficiency of the allocation regime: 1) provisions should be made to preserve a residual environmental flow; 2) an order of priority should be established between the different uses to minimise conflict; 3) the scope of the regime should be extended to all groundwater users to increase its efficiency; 4) stakeholders should participate in the management of the resource

Journal of Bayze Wells of Farmington: May, 1775 -- February,1777, At the Northward and in Canada

Covers the period May, 1775 to November, 1777 and the capture of Fort Ticonderoga and the siege of Quebec

Genetically Modified Grain Corn and Soybeans in Quebec and Ontario in 2000 and 2001

This report focuses on the changes in the area of genetically modified (GM) grain corn and soybeans, comparing the year 2001 with 2000. In the 2001 growing season, total GM area increased significantly for both GM grain corn and soybean crops in Quebec and Ontario. The number of large farms seeding GM crops rose considerably, while the number of small- and medium-sized farms growing GM crops was quite unchanged. The increase in GM soybean area was higher than that of GM grain corn. Farms growing both corn and soybeans made the biggest contribution to the increase. The increase appears to be a consequence of both higher average area of GM crops grown per farm by farmers who grew GM crops in 2000 and, to a lesser extent, the adoption of GM technology by new farmers. Most of the increased GM area was in Quebec, where the area seeded to GM grain corn rose 30.3% and to soybeans, 63.0%. In Ontario, the increase was 11.3% for grain corn and 25.4% for soybeans. In both provinces, the greater GM area for soybeans was more than double the increase in GM area for grain corn. In Quebec and in Ontario, the proportion of GM grain corn and soybean area to total grain corn and soybean area has increased significantly. In Quebec, GM area accounted for 31% of grain corn area and 27% of soybean area in 2001 compared to 27% and 17% respectively in 2000. In Ontario, the proportions were 29% for grain corn and 23% for soybean in 2001 compared to 27% and 17% respectively in 2000. In 2001, the proportion of large farms (total operated area greater than 980 acres) reporting GM grain corn or soybeans increased more than any other farm size category. This was especially apparent in Quebec. However, the small farm category, which accounted for the largest proportion of GM area in 2000, saw its share drop significantly in 2001. Statistics Canada's November Farm Survey data shows that yields for GM soybeans and grain corn have been better than yields for non-GM crops, and that growing GM grain corn and soybeans appears to have improved the average yield for both crops.Crop Production/Industries,

Laggards No More: The Changed Socioeconomic Status of Francophones in Quebec

The economic returns to knowing French in the Quebec labour market have increased steadily since 1970, while the returns to knowing English have decreased. The ability to speak both English and French has increased the earnings of anglophone men since 1980 and anglophone women since 1990, while the returns to bilingualism for francophone men and women remain positive. The health state of the French language in Quebec is also evident in the impressive growth in ownership of Quebec's economy by francophone firms, from 47 percent to 67 percent since the early 1960s.social policy, francophone socioeconomic status