From health care to climate change, here's what to expect from a stronger CAQ majority in Quebec

The Coalition Avenir Qubechas beenreturned to power for another four years in Quebec,with an even stronger majority than in its first mandate.

Much of the CAQ's first four years in power were spent managing the COVID-19 pandemic.

The party led by Franois Legaultis now facing othermajor challengesamong them, fixing a battered health-care system, addressing an acute labour shortageand tackling climate change.

Near the top of its long list of election promises, the party says it wants to help Quebecers deal with inflation.

Here are some things to keep an eye on as the CAQ gets set to begin its second mandate.

Fixing health care

The pandemic exposed the fault lines in Quebec's ailing health-care system: Staff are overworked, emergency rooms are packed, and with a shortage of family doctors in many parts of the province, people are having a difficult time accessing basic primary care.

The CAQ has said it intendstofix the system, while not overtaxing health-care workers.

The party plans tohelp alleviate the problem of access to front-line careby building two privately run clinics, inMontreal's east end and in Quebec City,to provide access to basic round-the-clock emergency care, day surgery and other services, all of whichwould be reimbursed by public health insurance.

It also said it will improve working conditions for nurses and other health-care workers by eliminating mandatory overtime.

The CAQ has backed away from acommitment made in its first mandate to provide each Quebecerwith a family doctor. Instead, it's said it willfocuson fixing the network to make sure anyone who needs front-line care can receive it as quickly as possible.

The government will look to fine-tune the new primary care portal, the Guichet d'accs la premire ligne (GAP), which helps pair patients with a nurse-practitionerorother appropriate healthprofessional,toavoid having them spend hours waiting at the ER.

It also wants to improve and increasehome-care services, to allow more elderly or chronically ill people to stay at homelonger.

To address the health-care labour shortage, the party has promised to invest $400 million to train 5,000 more health-care workers, including an additional 660 physicians.

During its first mandate, the CAQ often blamed the health-care system's failings on the governments that preceded it. Now that it has a second mandate, that can no longer be its fall-back position.

Pressure to act on climate change

Quebecers have elected the CAQ to a second majority despite the party's perceived weakness on environmental issues.

The pressure to address that weaknesswill ramp up right away, with the province set to blow past its2030 emissions targetunless it changes course quickly.

The CAQ is banking heavily on the electrification of vehiclesto deal withclimate change. However,highway expansion projects and the contentious plan to build a "third link" a tunnel under the St. Lawrence Riverconnecting Quebec City to Lvis have drummed up heavy criticism.

During the campaign, Legaultsaid he'd askHydro-Qubec to look into building more dams to generate the renewable energy the province needs to become carbon neutral by 2050. But there are doubts about the viability of that option.

Putting money in your pocket

Expect the new CAQ government to give Quebecersmore cashto help cope with the rising cost of living.

Earlier this year, the government handed out $500to everyonewho makes $100,000 per year or less, with those who earn between $100,000 and $105,000 receivingslightly less money.

During the campaign, CAQ promised to give another $600 by year's end to Quebecers with an annual income of less than $50,000, and $400 to those earning between $50,000 and $100,000.

It also promised an annual allowance of up to $2,000 forpeople aged 70 and up, retroactive to 2022.

It is committed tolowering the personal income tax rate by one percentage point for Quebecers in the bottom two tax brackets, starting next year.

Immigration and the labour shortage

Protecting the French language isapriority for the CAQ, and the party has said in order to do that,it would limit the annual number of immigrants to 50,000.

However, for months, business groups have clamoured for the government to allow more newcomersdue to the acutelabour shortage in multiple sectors.

During its second term, the CAQ which sees itself as a business-friendly party will need to figure out how to balance its determination to limit immigration against the pressing needs of business owners to find people to hire.

In a speech tothe Montreal Chamber of Commerce last week, Legaultsaid his government would address the frustrations of the business communityby making sure immigrants and temporary foreign workers better fit the labour market's needs and by pressing studentsto specialize in areas where there is a high demand.

Child care and education

In the year leading up to this election, the CAQ announced a $3-billion plan to create space for another 37,000 children in public, subsidizeddaycares.

During the campaign, it built on that plan, promisinganother $1.4 billion over five years to convert private spots that are not subsidized,to make sure every Quebec family can access affordable child care.

The CAQfaced criticism in its first mandate for its child-carestrategy, particularly a2018 pledge to make government-funded pre-kindergarten classes for four-year-olds available across the province.

The number of pre-K classes has grown since that pledge was made, but the party has failed to deliver on its promise. Critics have accused the CAQ of focusing too much on getting four-year-olds into classrooms,instead of on expanding public daycare services.