The Government of Quebec will give adult residents who earn less than $100,000 a one-time payment of $500 to offset the impact of inflation.
The payments were included in the provincial budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year that has been tabled by Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard, his last before a provincial election this autumn.
Girard says Quebec's economy has posted an impressive recovery from the pandemic, with GDP growing by 6.3% in 2021 and projected to grow by 2.7% in 2022.
The provincial budget is projecting an operating deficit of $6.5 billion, which includes a $3.5-billion payment into a fund dedicated to reducing the provincial debt.
Girard is projecting government revenues of $138.5 billion, a rise of 2.2%, and about $3.7 billion in new spending this fiscal year.
The budgets for the healthcare and school systems -- the two largest government portfolios -- will rise by 6.3% and 5.4%, respectively.
The government projects that inflation will reach 4.7% in the province this year before moderating in 2023.
