Québec Solidaire has big plans. How would it pay for them?

Québec Solidaire, a small, left-wing party which has been climbing in the polls, has already unveiled a long list of ambitious, costly promises, including free education from daycare to university, free dental care and eventually, free public transit.

On Monday, the party tried to explain how they would pay for it all. 

A Québec Solidaire government would bring in $12.9 billion in additional revenue through a national pharmacare tearing up the Liberal government's agreement with medical specialists and hiking taxes for large corporations and those who earn more than $97,000 a year.

"Today, we are demonstrating concretely that a Québec Solidaire government will have the means to achieve its ambitions," party co-spokesperson Manon Massé ​said at a news conference at a community centre in downtown Montreal.

Every dollar that will be spent, she said, will serve to "improve the life of ordinary citizens."

Heading into the election, the party had three seats at the National Assembly, all in Montreal.

The party, though, has been polling strongly and, according to CBC's latest calculations, is projected to win as many as seven seats on Oct. 1. 

Québec Solidaire is the first party to release its financial plan. 

The party says it will generate:

• $2.51 billion by setting up a provincial pharmacare plan, under which the government would purchase drugs in bulk and distribute them at a lower rate to the public. It would also include a manufacturing and research centre.
• $2.17 billion by raising the tax rate for large corporations — those with 500 employees or more — from 11.7 per cent to 14.5 per cent.
• $2.05 billion by reforming the income tax structure. It plans to introduce ten levels of taxation. According to the party, taxpayers earning between $80,000 and $97,000 a year would see no change, those earning less than $80,000 would pay less, and those earning over $97,000 would pay more.
• $925 million by renegotiating the agreement between the government and medical specialists.
• $450 million by cracking down on tax evasion.

Simon Tremblay-Pepin, an economist and candidate for Québec Solidaire in the West Island riding of Nelligan who was also at the announcement, said the party's tax reforms would return Quebec to its progressive roots. 

The proposed tax changes, he said, would make the province more equitable and ensure corporations pay their fair share.

He said the party's pharmacare proposal has proven successful elsewhere, citing the example of New Zealand. 

Moshe Lander, an economist at Concordia University, was skeptical of the party's financial plan, however.

He said raising the corporate tax rate would drive companies out of the province, while changing personal income tax rates would create confusion and discourage people from earning more.

Overall, he said, the revenue estimates don't take into account these unintended consequences.

"You try to squeeze people for money and their first exercise is going to be to try to avoid it," he said. "It might generate revenue, but not nearly [at the level] they are thinking."

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