Montréal, March 4th, 2026 — The Provincial Employment Roundtable (PERT) has submitted a brief to Québec’s 2026–27 pre-budget consultations, calling for strategic investments in the province’s English-speaking community. PERT’s submission outlines targeted measures to address employment disparities, reduce language training barriers, and unlock the economic potential of this workforce—an opportunity estimated at $1.5 billion annually for Québec’s economy.

“The Quebec government needs to start investing in the employment of Quebec’s English-speaking community. It also needs to stand out of the way of federal government funding and allow money to flow to frontline services across the province,” said Nicholas Salter, Executive Director of PERT. 

PERT’s research shows that English speakers represent 15.8% of Québec’s labour market but account for 23% of the unemployed population. Their unemployment rate stands at 10.9%, four percentage points higher than that of French speakers. Closing this gap would add approximately 28,000 workers to the labour force, yet the Ministère de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale has no action plan to address this problem and only allocates 3% of its funding to English-speaking community organisations.

PERT is calling on the Québec government to:

1. Include English speakers as a targeted group in the Plan d’action des services publics d’emploi.
2. Invest in a community-led, “by us, for us” model of employment service delivery in partnership with English-language organizations.
3. Create a dedicated strategy and action plan to promote French-language learning for English-speaking Quebecers, developed in consultation with diverse communities across the province.
4. Collect new and regular linguistic and labour-market data on English speakers in Québec.

“As Québec faces economic uncertainty and forecasted labour shortages, better integrating Quebec’s English-speaking communities into the workforce is both a matter of equity and a strategic opportunity. Targeted investments could unlock the skills of thousands of workers, promote the French language, and strengthen regional economies,” concluded Salter. 

About PERT:

The Provincial Employment Roundtable (PERT) is a non-profit, multi-stakeholder initiative focused on addressing the employment and employability challenges facing Québec’s English-speaking community.

About the Pre-Budget Consultation

Earlier this year, on January 8, the Government of Québec opened its pre-budget consultation process, inviting stakeholders—including the English-speaking community—to provide input on priorities for the 2026–27 budget. 

Media Contact:

Chad Walcott
Director of Public Affairs
chad@pertquebec.ca
1-855-773-7885