![](https://www.iedm.org/sites/all/themes/iedm/design/logo.png)
2-minute read
A simple tool for watching Quebec’s debt grow
Montreal, September 18, 2009 – The Montreal Economic Institute (MEI) has just released a Quebec debt clock on its website. It shows the growth in public sector debt in real time based on data provided by the Department of Finance in its 2009-2010 Budget Plan.
![](https://www.iedm.org/sites/all/themes/iedm/design/logo.png)
3-minute read
Union certification: Mandatory secret ballot voting would show more respect for workers’ wishes – A new poll indicates that a large majority of Quebeckers support this reform
Montreal, September 10, 2009 – More than seven out of 10 people in Quebec feel the government should amend the current law to establish mandatory secret ballot voting among employees involved in an application for union certification. Support for such a change is even higher among unionized workers, at 80%.
![](https://www.iedm.org/sites/all/themes/iedm/design/logo.png)
5-minute read
Northern Waters: A project to develop Quebec’s blue gold in an ecologically responsible way
Montreal, July 15, 2009 – Seasonal storage of floodwaters from three unexploited rivers that flow into James Bay and the channelling of this water to the Ottawa River would provide for the generation of 14 terawatt-hours of hydroelectric energy per year, producing annual revenues of nearly $2 billion.
![](https://www.iedm.org/sites/all/themes/iedm/design/logo.png)
2-minute read
Bill 40 is pointless and opens a Pandora’s box, says the Montreal Economic Institute
Montreal, June 12, 2009 – Bill 40 amending the Balanced Budget Act, currently being debated in the National Assembly, is unjustified and opens a Pandora’s box, says Michel Kelly-Gagnon, president and CEO of the Montreal Economic Institute.
![](https://www.iedm.org/sites/all/themes/iedm/design/logo.png)
3-minute read
“Net neutrality” would get in the way of network development
Montreal, June 4, 2009 – Consumers should be free to choose the Internet price and service combinations that best suit their needs rather than have the government legislate in the development of an industry as volatile as the Internet.
![](https://www.iedm.org/sites/all/themes/iedm/design/logo.png)
3-minute read
Private investment in telecommunications: an economic stimulus
Montreal, May 28, 2009 – Private investment is an essential part of economic recovery and must be encouraged, according to the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI). “Private investment totals more than $270 billion annually, nearly 10 times as high as the public investment announced in the recovery plan in the federal budget,” MEI president and CEO Michel Kelly-Gagnon said.
![](https://www.iedm.org/sites/all/themes/iedm/design/logo.png)
4-minute read
A manifesto for a more efficient social democratic model
Montreal, May 25, 2009 – An essay titled Manifesto for a Competitive Social Democracy by Marcel Boyer, vice president and chief economist of the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI), says globalization of markets makes it necessary to revitalize social democracy, redefining the roles of governmental and competitive sectors.
![](https://www.iedm.org/sites/all/themes/iedm/design/logo.png)
1-minute read
Viewpoint on the Quebec government’s debt: potential dangers on the horizon
Montreal, May 6, 2009 – In a Viewpoint published by the Montreal Economic Institute, economist David Descôteaux determines that gross debt as of March 31, 2009, stood at $151.4 billion, or 49.9% of the province’s annual GDP. Quebec’s debt, already above the Canadian average, has started going up again after several years under control. Quebec government spending is on the rise because of growing program costs. Can Quebec’s government finances hold up without unduly raising the debt?
![](https://www.iedm.org/sites/all/themes/iedm/design/logo.png)
2-minute read
Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 – Michel Kelly-Gagnon receives a Canada-wide award
Montreal, May 1, 2009 – Michel Kelly-Gagnon, president and chief executive of the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI), is one of six people from Quebec honoured in the Canada’s Top 40 Under 40™ awards. The winners were chosen from among 1,100 nominees by an independent selection committee made up of 25 leaders from the business world across Canada. The selection criteria were: vision and leadership, innovation and results, impact, community commitment, and business strategy.
![](https://www.iedm.org/sites/all/themes/iedm/design/logo.png)
4-minute read
According to a Montreal Economic Institute survey on mixed medical practice, Quebec is depriving itself of the equivalent of 790 medical specialists on weekdays
Montreal, April 22, 2009 – Quebec could reduce waiting lists for medical specialists and maximize their supply of available hours if they were allowed to work both in the public sector and in the private sector, and this would add the equivalent of 790 full-time medical specialists on weekdays.