Opinion letter by Yves-Thomas Dorval, President & CEO, Quebec Employers Council
The Sherbrooke Record, p. 6 – February 20, 2015
Over the last six years, the Quebec Employers Council (QEC) has been endowed with a new vision, a more inclusive mission and a designation under the “Allied for Prosperity” theme. It has been present in every forum to support economic development for all, from North to South, East to West, and to assess Quebec’s economic performance in terms of the main determinants of prosperity. These results have been compiled annually through the issuing of a Report Card on Prosperity, whose findings have always been ambivalent: Despite its outstanding potential, Quebec’s economic performance levels off and remains average, inferior even, when compared to similar jurisdictions, especially in North America.
Since Quebec is facing a number of issues such as the aging population, the debt burden or the global economic convergence, and since Quebec has many assets such as an abundance of natural resources, its favourable geographic location and its financial system which is regarded as one of the most solid worldwide, we need to find a way to unleash that full potential if we want to maintain our quality of life and standard of living. And along with its economic potential, we include its creative potential, social solidarity, and by extension, it’s potential to prosper. After all, the prosperity of governments throughout the world is tied to their entrepreneurial intensity and is dependent on the success of their businesses across the entire region.
Confronted by these findings, the Employers Council conducted an extensive consultation with stakeholders in various spheres of endeavour, in every medium, in every activity sector, and it developed an inclusive campaign project entitled PROSPERITE.QUEBEC. Unveiled on February 16, this ambitious project is designed to rally every citizen and organization throughout the province of Quebec around a common objective, which is to maintain and even improve the standard and quality of living of Quebecers. This is why the campaign bears the theme “Prosperity for, with, and by all.”
This apolitical campaign, which extends over three years, is the culmination of a mobilization by people in the business community to initiate a constructive and inclusive dialogue with the population of every Quebec region and it is aimed at displaying the new features of a greater economic prosperity that is sustainable and solidarity-based. Gradually using every platform and opportunities that are available, PROSPERITE.QUEBEC will be based on the sharing of experiences and viewpoints from everyone that believes in Quebec’s outstanding potential and wants to see a greater unleashing of this potential for the benefit of Quebecers as a whole. These discussions will also be buttressed by the input derived from considerable analyses and research, the first of which will be announced in a few days. This data will draw a link between development and economic performance and the standard, quality and well-being of the population.
Through the first-person accounts of entrepreneurs, workers, young people, personalities and people from every region of the province, PROSPERITE.QUEBEC will serve as the impetus to set the wheels in motion for a Quebec-wide sustainable development that will strive to stimulate entrepreneurial spirit, especially among young people, thereby rekindling the population’s interest in seeing our businesses flourish, and instilling the urge to prosper in all of us.