Constraints and Objectives of Regional Planning in Quebec

Abstract

T HE selection of the type and method of to be applied in a country or a region must depend on the current state of its socioeconomic structure. In other words, the socioeconomic structure determines the very texture of any operation at all levels-theoretical, methodological, and administrative. Thus, the type of which is currently evolving in Quebec must take account of a set of constraints which are peculiar to the society and the economy of the Province of Quebec. These structural characteristics of Quebec color the operation in a fundamental fashion. We define on the one hand as a set of techniques which permits us to determine an integrated and consistent group of objectives for growth and development, after discussion and acceptance by the decision-makers, and on the other hand as the means necessary for the realization of these objectives. The concept of regional planning is somewhat ambiguous in Quebec because it applies at the same time to the Province of Quebec as a region within Canada and to subregions located within the territory of Quebec. In the first part of our paper, we shall be concerned with outlining the principal characteristics of the Quebec economy and of its subregions. We will cover only those features which have a determining effect on the model of Quebec. The Quebec economy is dominated by the vast North American capitalist economy. The major decisions which influence Quebec's economic evolution are often made by decision-making centers foreign to Quebec. The ownership of a major part of the enterprises is foreign. About 50 percent of its industrial production is exported to the rest of Canada or abroad. Thus, models which have as their point of departure a projection of final demand are very difficult to apply. The Quebec economy is equally open from the financial point of view. Toronto and New York are the