MONTREAL - It's Day 2 of the Quebec election campaign and it's already raining billions.
Premier Jean Charest says his government will make $2 billion available to businesses if his Liberals are re-elected on Dec. 8.
He is also promising to increase work on the province's infrastructure, emphasize job-training and bump up Quebec's minimum hourly wage by $1 to $9.50 by 2010.
Opposition Leader Mario Dumont says he would sell off 7.5 per cent of the shares of Hydro-Quebec to the public to generate $10 billion to pay down the provincial debt.
Dumont says the shares would be sold only to Quebecers and would allow taxpayers to keep a closer eye on the Crown-owned utility.
Parti Quebecois Leader Pauline Marois has unveiled a $600-million plan to help the economy.
It includes job-training programs, tax breaks for homeowners and low-income Quebecers and an investment fund by the Caisse de depot to help businesses during the next seven years.