Making Canada a world leader in democratic governance and the practice of federalism is not dependent on the size of our population, our military, or our economy. Rather it is largely dependent on the extent to which our citizens and politicians are prepared to commit themselves to this objective and to support and adopt the reforms and policies that will make it a reality. With this end in view, we invite you to examine the policies proposed in this volume, support their adoption, and participate personally in the revitalization of democracy and federalism in Canada.

How do the living standards of people in Quebec compare with those elsewhere in North America? This issue stirs up a profusion of emotional reactions from diverse standpoints. Differences of opinion stem in part from the fact that the available data fail to provide a clear image and can easily cause confusion. Some vague general indicators suggest that living standards in Quebec may be comparable to those in Ontario. Other more objective data show, however, that Quebec is relatively poor compared to the other Canadian provinces and U.S. states.

Governments in Canada and elsewhere around the world continue to control the prices of many goods and services. These controls, aimed at helping certain producers or portions of society, result in a number of pernicious effects that damage the economy and impair wealth creation. It would be preferable to let prices play their proper role in the economy and to establish other public policies providing direct assistance to those who require such help.

La face cachée des politiques publiques examines various myth-filled areas of public policy such as health care, water management, globalization, agricultural subsidies, minimum wages and rent control. Readers will no doubt discover that some of their most deeply held convictions are little more than mirages that fail the test of economic logic.

Si le gouvernement peut trouver quelques centaines de millions de dollars à consacrer à autre chose qu’à des dépenses additionnelles, il devrait donc réduire les impôts au lieu de les consacrer à un fonds des générations. La dette publique du Québec est certainement préoccupante, mais elle continue de diminuer en pourcentage du PIB et malgré l’équilibre précaire actuel, il y a longtemps que le gouvernement du Québec ne «paie plus l’épicerie» en s’endettant.

In a consultation paper released February 16, the Quebec government chose to follow a very restrictive interpretation of the Supreme Court ruling in the Chaoulli case. The government document suggests providing guaranteed access for certain treatments and permitting private insurance only for knee, hip or cataract surgery. However, it would be well worth broadening the discussion to include a model the court decision hinted at, namely duplicate insurance covering all types of health care.

Le gouvernement du Québec s’est montré réticent à laisser la SAAQ augmenter les contributions d’assurance automobile même si le projet de loi 55, adopté en décembre 2004, enjoignait la SAAQ à les fixer de façon à éliminer son déficit de financement d’ici 2015 et à retrouver la pleine capitalisation d’ici 2020. En tentant de repousser en 2007 le moment où le Fonds d’assurance automobile entreprendra son retour vers l’équilibre financier, le gouvernement Charest a imité celui de M. Landry qui, en fin de mandat, avait reporté après les élections de 2003 le débat public sur cette épineuse question.

Even with a temporary reprieve from the latest WTO talks in Hong Kong in December 2005, the supply management system in Canada’s dairy industry will have to be reformed in the longer term. The system clearly benefits certain milk producers, but on the other hand it holds Canadian consumers hostage and stifles entire industries that have to pay more for their milk. It erects an obstacle to competition throughout the Canadian dairy industry, penalizing the most dynamic producers by means of extravagantly expensive quotas. When it comes to reforming the dairy supply management system in Canada, a number of concerns have been raised to which the Australian experience provides answers.

Comment les dépenses et les recettes fédérales ont-elles évolué au cours des dernières décennies? Il est important de faire le point sur cette question, ne serait-ce que pour évaluer les orientations qu'adoptera le gouvernement issu de la présente campagne électorale. L'une des conclusions qui ressort est qu'il ne semble pas y avoir de corrélation entre l'évolution des dépenses et recettes fédérales et le parti au pouvoir.

We often hear that people in Quebec are less inclined to become entrepreneurs than other Canadians or Americans. This difference is sometimes attributed to cultural or religious factors that assigned a low standing to entrepreneurial activity. Although such factors may still have a certain influence, Quebec stands apart mainly because of regulatory and tax burdens that are higher than elsewhere and that penalize entrepreneurs.