PQ courting small businesses by promising ‘historic’ reduction in tax burden

Parti Quebecois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon speaks during a press conference at their party convention in Saint-Hyacinthe, Que., on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press)

A Parti Québécois (PQ) government would offer small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) a “historic” reduction in their tax burden, according to leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.

The party leader made the announcement at a news conference on Friday in Saint-Georges, in Quebec’s Beauce region, but was nevertheless tight-lipped about the details.

He explained that he wants to end the subsidiary “open bar,” which he said totals $8 billion a year, and use that money to reduce taxes for all SMEs in Quebec.

The measure would be “cost-neutral,” he argued.

St-Pierre Plamondon criticized François Legault’s government, which he said chooses “at random” who to award subsidies to.

According to him, this approach has hurt productivity.

“We are wasting billions in subsidies as if it were Christmas. We are going to (...) tell Quebec businesses: ‘We are lightening your burden, (...) but it is not based on our favouritism,’” he said. “We are changing the model, and this will lead to a historic reduction in the tax burden on SMEs, historic in the sense that we have never seen anything like it in the history of Quebec.”

He continued, “This will help all Quebec businesses, rather than being based on favouritism or hidden motives.”

According to St-Pierre Plamondon, since 2018, the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government has increased subsidies to businesses by 67 per cent compared to the previous Liberal (PLQ) government.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Jan. 30, 2026.