Mr. Speaker, an unprecedented event took place Saturday in Montreal, namely the Forum de la solidarité sociale du Québec. For the first time ever, over one thousand representatives of citizen and community groups as diverse as the Assemblée des évêques and unions from all regions gathered together to embrace a common goal and to wage war on unemployment and poverty through joint social action.
After painting an alarming picture of poverty in Quebec, the forum levelled the blame squarely at the federal government's anti-inflation policy which has led to a 50 per cent increase in the federal debt, prompting governments to slash social programs every further.
Above all, forum participants agreed on the need to take action so that Quebec stands solidly behind a job creation policy that encompasses job sharing, a reaffirmation of the role of the state, taxation reform, maintenance of social programs and a broadening of democracy.
This approach represents hope for Quebec.