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The Quebec Liberals are calling upon Premier François Legault to apologize for remarks he made Tuesday suggesting that restaurants, small businesses and the tourism industry lack employees because they don’t pay enough.

The Liberals say Legault has abandoned those employers just as Quebec is facing a major shortage of labour in sectors vital to the economies of the province’s regions.

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Legault made the remarks Tuesday in an interview on 98.5 FM in Montreal. After show host Paul Arcand suggested the province would not help out restaurateurs and hotels lacking staff, Legault suggested that “actually, restaurants, retail outlets and tourism businesses” that pay workers $15 to $20 an hour “will have more difficulty finding employees.”

Legault said that job seekers would naturally be drawn to jobs that paid better with wages of $25 or $30 an hour.

Liberal small businesses critic Monsef Derraji called on Legault to apologize to those businesses receiving no help from the government to recruit labour from overseas at a time of year crucial for their revenues.