Premier François Legault was in Maniwaki yesterday to make an announcement that the government would be moving 5,000 public service administrative jobs out of urban centers and into certain economically disadvantaged regions. Maniwaki, situated in MRC Vallée-de-la-Gatineau, was one of the first sites named alongside far-flung regions like Gaspé, La Sarre and Baie-Comeau.

MRC Pontiac was not included in the first 15 locations, but the government has stated there is a possibility of additions in the future. The MRC has been shown to have the lowest disposable income per capita in the Outaouais, and one of the lowest in Quebec.

Pontiac Warden Jane Toller called the announcement “excellent news” and said that it was another promise from the last election that the CAQ government had delivered on.

Legault explained that he had made a promise to the Fédération des municipalités du Québec (FQM) in 2018 that they would transfer 5,000 employees from Quebec and Montreal to regions throughout the province over the next 10 years. He said that according to his Minister of Government Administration, Sonia LeBel, they had already transferred 1,330 jobs and were on track to hit their benchmark of 2,000 jobs by September 30.

The full (French-language) press conference is available here.