PQ leadership candidate Pierre Karl Peladeau presented his economic platform Tuesday afternoon and not surprisingly, his first priority is sovereignty, which he says will make Quebec richer. He said Quebec is being handcuffed by Canada, which is why it hasn’t been able to reach its full potential. “One thing I know is that unfortunately we're sending a lot of money to Ottawa and this money has basically been lent to other parts of Canada,” he said. According to the federal government, Quebecers paid $9 billion in taxes to Ottawa, but will get back $20 billion this year. Separatists have long said they don't agree with that math. Peladeau also presented other priorities focusing on the economic development of the regions, tracking down tax dodgers, and investing in a “green” economy. Peladeau also said he wants people who buy online from sites such as Amazon or eBay to pay provincial sales tax on their purchases. Former finance minister and Peladeau supporter Nicolas Marceau chimed in that it's unfair that some people can buy goods without paying taxes. Peladeau wants to create a new body that he would call Development Quebec, to help promote development in the province's different regions, and devise strategies to keep big companies' head offices in Montreal. Peladeau is the front-runner for the PQ leadership. His economic plan seems to be quite different than that of his leadership rival, Bernard Drainville, who focuses on CEGEPs and universities giving more courses in entrepreneurship to encourage the next generation to lead the way in job creation. When reporters tried to get Peladeau to be more specific about his plan, they were repeatedly told they were only being given one question and no follow up. He did say it wouldn't be a bad idea to reduce the tax burden on Quebecers, but he wouldn't commit to doing that. He also said that he would wait until 2018 to decide whether and when to hold a referendum.
