Alexandre Leduc

Alexandre Leduc is the Québec Solidaire candidate for Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.

Tuition Fees

"Since the founding of the party in 2006, Québec Solidaire has adopted a clear stance on free education," said Leduc. "We believe that the foundation of a democratic society is education," he added.

"Education, because it's a right, should be accessible to all social classes, whether you're born in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve or Westmount." Leduc estimated that providing free tuition would cost the state around $425 million. "To find this money, we would restore the capital tax, but only on financial institutions. This tax was abolished by Jean Charest in 2007."

Financial Aid

Quebec Solidaire wants to merge all welfare programs into one by establishing a guaranteed minimum income. "Anybody who doesn't have a job, or who has a job that doesn't pay enough [to live] would receive $12,000 from the state," explained Leduc. "$12,000 per year is a good foundation [for students] to focus on their studies without having to work 30 hours per week," he said.

Youth Unemployment

Leduc knows the topic quite well. Despite obtaining a Masters degree in history, he did not find a job in his field of study.

"University is also a place to learn working methods and to develop critical thinking skills. You don't necessarily end up in your particular field," said Leduc. "[However,] Quebec Solidaire has a far-reaching economic plan, the Green Plan, that proposes a series of massive public investments to facilitate job creation."

Youth Vote

"It's only a month after Moving Day. A lot of young people moved and did not necessarily have the time to change their address," said Leduc, who will be handing out flyers to encourage people to vote. "Every time the Liberals were elected in the last 20 years, the turnout rate was low."

Plan Nord

"What we criticize heavily about the Plan Nord are the gifts made to mining companies," said Leduc.

"There is also a huge problem with royalties. Under the current system, mining companies pay royalties according to how much profit they make," he explained. "With a good accountant, it's very easy to estimate a smaller profit, when the companies will actually end up with more. We want royalties to be paid per ton of material extracted, which is much more logical," said Leduc.

Leduc said Quebec Solidaire wants an economic development plan to develop the region of Quebec, adding that it ought to respect the environment and local communities. Quebec Solidaire also wants to nationalize Quebec's resources, as well as certain industries. "We don't want Soviet-style nationalization," said Leduc. "We want to study the economic feasibility of nationalization [...] in areas where we are competent," said Leduc.

Leduc says Quebec Solidaire would make sure the second and third transformation of resources would happen in Quebec. "Currently that's not the case, which is one of the scandals of the Charest government."