The Opportunity: A $1.5 Billion Boost for Québec

Strategic investment in the English-speaking workforce is a critical lever for provincial growth. Closing the employment and income disparities between English and French speakers would add roughly $1.5 billion to Québec’s economy annually. As a candidate in the Nord-du-Québec region, you represent a vital part of this economic opportunity.

Nord-du-Québec Region

• The Unemployment Crisis: English speakers face an elevated unemployment rate of 9.5%, which is more than double the rate of French speakers in the region (4.5%).

• The Massive Income Gap: The gap in earnings is among the steepest in the province. English speakers earn $19,800 less in median employment income compared to their French-speaking peers ($28,600 vs. $48,400).

• Population: The majority of the population in Nord-du-Québec (68.5%) is Indigenous, specifically Cree and Inuit. Among English speakers in the region, 95.8% are Indigenous.

Core Structural Challenges in Nord-du-Québec

• Vast Geographic Isolation & Sparsity: The English-speaking population is deeply dispersed across remote northern communities. This vast geography isolates local workforces from major centralized economic hubs and complicates access to job networks.

• Geographic Barriers & Training Gaps: Vast distances restrict physical access to the region's English-language vocational centres, while the deployment of local training, such as French-language and construction programs, is severely hindered by the difficulty of hiring English-speaking instructors.

• Linguistic Gaps in Management: While ‘Health care and social assistance’ and ‘Public administration’ are the leading employers of local English speakers, a lack of professional French-language proficiency restricts them from advancing into administrative and management-level roles, forcing employers to rely on high-turnover, out-of-region staff.

Our 2026 Platform Recommendations

We call on all candidates to commit to the following evidence-based pillars:

• Tackle issues related to outmigration and isolation in the region: Strengthen partnerships with local organizations serving First Nations and Inuit and English-speaking communities to tackle outmigration and retention issues.

• Targeted Employment Programs: Adapt and expand existing public employment services, skills training, and employment programs to fit the needs of the local population. 

• Increased Funding for On-the-Job Learning Programs: Include First Nations and Inuit individuals as target underrepresented groups in existing on-the-job learning programs for individuals with difficulties finding long-term employment or acquiring work experience within the region.