Electoral debate: It's up to citizens to make the choice for the city on September 4

MONTREAL, Aug. 17, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal today held an electoral debate between representatives of the three main political parties. Mr. Pierre Moreau of the Québec Liberal Party, Ms. Diane De Courcy of the Parti Québécois, and Mr. Stéphane Le Bouyonnec of the Coalition Avenir Québec each explained the commitments they intend to make with regards to major issues affecting the city and its economic development.

"We are grateful to the parties for having accepted our invitation to clarify their positions on what should be one of the major issues of the campaign: the vitality of Quebec's largest city. The metropolis is too often overlooked during election campaigns, and the Board of Trade is proud to have invited the parties to comment on their plans for the development of the economic heart of Quebec. The unemployment rate in the Greater Montréal region is currently 3 percentage points higher than elsewhere in Quebec. It is a situation that is worrying, to say the least, for a city on which 50% of Quebec's economy is dependent. Today's debate was important and necessary," stated Michel Leblanc, President and CEO of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal.

"A series of studies and reports produced by the Board of Trade over the last few years demonstrate the magnitude of challenges with which the metropolis is faced. The candidates in attendance today were able to explain their solutions to the issues at stake: the attractiveness of our business environment, the state of our public transit system, our pool of qualified labour, and the overgovernance afflicting Montréal. It is now up to the city's business community and citizens to determine the party best able to breathe new life into our city", emphasized Michel Leblanc.

"We hope that the next government will firmly commit to giving the city a boost, and that it adopts a clear and realistic plan that can reduce the level of uncertainty in the business community. The vitality of Quebec as a whole is at stake," concluded Michel Leblanc.

Remember that the Board of Trade has called on the parties to present their positions on the following four requests:

1. We are asking the parties to commit to implementing a concrete strategy to improve the city's business environment.
2. We are asking the parties to commit to modernizing and completing the city's public transit system.
3. We are asking the parties to commit to increasing the city's pool of qualified labour.
4. We are asking the parties to commit to resolving the problem of overgovernance afflicting the city.

The Board of Trade has launched a micro-website allowing citizens to echo our requests to the three main political parties, underscoring the importance of the city: www.4issuesforthecity.ca.

About the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal is made up of some 7,000 members. Its mission is to represent the interests of the business community of Greater Montréal and to provide individuals, merchants, and local businesses of all sizes with a variety of specialized services to help them achieve their full potential in terms of innovation, productivity, and competitiveness. The Board of Trade is Quebec's leading private economic development organization.

SOURCE: BOARD OF TRADE OF METROPOLITAN MONTREAL

Geneviève Jutras
Advisor, Communications
Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
Phone: [phone], extension 4042
[email protected]