Economic Meeting 2010: The Conseil du patronat du Québec hopes to see Québec<br>transformed and more prosperous, through the participation of all economic<br>partners

MONTREAL, Jan. 19 /CNW Telbec/ - Tomorrow and on Thursday, the Conseil du patronat du Québec (CPQ) will participate in the Economic Meeting 2010. It welcomes this initiative by the Québec government which, in addition to the short-term measures to be introduced in the next budget, aims to provide Québec with a longer-term road map towards sustainable prosperity.

"Beyond the economic measures in the upcoming budget, we need to transform Québec to make it a beacon and an economic leader not only within Canada, but within the OECD. This ambitious goal depends upon Québec shouldering its responsibilities and taking action immediately. We therefore call upon all economic partners to demonstrate vision for the future, in order to achieve these goals," declared the President of the CPQ, Yves-Thomas Dorval.

Transforming Québec

Following on the heels of the recommendations on public finances and more competitive taxation which it presented to the government during recent prebudget consultations, the CPQ will now propose:

    
    - mobilizing the economic and job market partners through a "Boldness
      Campaign" to encourage private investment, worker productivity, job
      growth and the creation of wealth;
    - introducing a culture of education and training that is tailored to the
      job market, requiring fundamental changes to educational institutions;
    - increasing business productivity, in particular by supporting
      investment by small and medium enterprises in machinery, equipment,
      technology and training;
    - restoring, as a top priority, the economy of greater Montréal, which is
      home to half of Québec's population, by making the most of its
      competitive advantages (universities, languages, cultures, creativity
      and knowledge).
    

A summary is available on the CPQ's Web site, providing more details on each of these action paths.

"A User's Guide to Recovery"

The CPQ will also continue to collect and to propose new, concrete solutions to the economic challenges that will confront Québec in the years to come, in particular as part of its "User's Guide to Recovery" consultation forum aimed at Québec businesses, which will be held on February 22 with a view to preparing the CPQ's platform for 2010-2013.

Raymond Bachand, Québec's Finance Minister, Robert Gagné, full professor at HEC Montréal, and Alain Dubuc, columnist at La Presse, will participate in this event.

The Conseil du patronat du Québec (CPQ) is an association of Quebec's largest companies and the vast majority of sector-based employers' groups, making it the province's sole employers' confederation.

For further information: Patrick Leblanc, Vice-President - Communications, [phone] (cell.)