Summary#
This bill would add gender and diversity analysis to Quebec’s budget process. Its goal is to make sure the government looks at how new tax and spending measures affect people of different sexes and diverse backgrounds, using an “intersectional” lens (that means looking at how factors like gender, race, age, disability, and income overlap).
- Gives the Finance Minister a new duty to ensure gender and diversity are considered in economic, tax, budget, and financial decisions.
- Requires the Finance Minister to table a report in the National Assembly on the gender and diversity impacts of new measures announced in each budget or economic update, within 30 days.
- States that a National Assembly committee will study those reports.
- Requires the Finance Minister to publish, once a year, a public analysis of the gender and diversity impacts of selected tax measures.
- Requires the President of the Treasury Board, with the Finance Minister, to publish, once a year, a public analysis of the gender and diversity impacts of selected government spending items.
- Does not itself change tax rates or spending levels; it adds transparency and analysis.
What it means for you#
- Residents and taxpayers
- You would get clearer information about who benefits from new budget measures and who might be left out.
- No direct changes to your taxes or benefits come from this bill alone.
- Workers and families from diverse groups
- Budget reports would show how new measures affect women, men, and people from varied backgrounds, which could help identify gaps or inequities.
- Community groups, advocates, and researchers
- More public data and analysis to support your work and public feedback.
- A legislative committee would review the reports, creating a regular forum to discuss impacts.
- Businesses
- Some tax measures that affect businesses could be analyzed for different impacts across groups, but there are no new requirements on businesses.
- Government and public servants
- The Finance Ministry and Treasury Board would have new analysis and reporting work each year, and after budgets or economic updates.
Expenses#
No publicly available information.
Proponents’ View#
- Makes budgeting more transparent by showing who is helped or harmed by new measures.
- Improves fairness by considering how gender and diversity overlap, so policies better fit real-life situations.
- Supports evidence-based decisions by requiring regular, public analysis and committee review.
- Helps spot unintended side effects early, so the government can adjust programs or tax measures.
- Brings Quebec’s budgeting closer to modern practices used in many places.
Opponents’ View#
- Adds paperwork and could slow parts of the budget process without clear gains.
- Quality may vary because the ministers choose which tax and spending measures to analyze each year.
- Data gaps (for example, limited information on race or disability) could make findings incomplete or misleading.
- Could raise administrative costs for analysis and reporting.
- Terms like “intersectional perspective” may be unclear in practice, leading to inconsistent methods or political disputes.