This meeting was the first in a series that François Legault plans to hold with leaders of opposition parties to discuss Quebec’s electrification, its businesses and its transport. We have to convince our companies, we have to convince citizens about electrification, the prime minister said last week. It’s a nice challenge. This is a challenge that I would like to face up to with the oppositions.
According to Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, the Prime Minister recognizes that his plan to fight climate change is not enough. At Québec solidaire, we not only have criticism, we also have suggestions. […] I have provided five [au premier ministre] to improve his plan, said the QS group leader at the end of this hour and a half session.
First, QS wants to accelerate the arrival of electric vehicles in the Quebec market and end sales of gasoline vehicles from 2030 instead of 2035.
Québec solidaire wants to “accelerate the arrival of electric vehicles in the Québec market”.
Photo: Radio Canada / Philippe Marcoux
Mr Nadeau-Dubois said he had also proposed to the Prime Minister to pass legislation to speed up the electrification of freight transport.
He also wants Quebec to encourage faster electrification of buildings heated with fossil fuels through an ambitious incentive program. It’s still 10% of greenhouse gases [GES] in Quebec. Too many buildings are heated with fossil fuels. We need to fix this problem.
The QS co-spokesperson also wants companies that receive government support to be required to phase out Quebec clean technologies. In his opinion, there is a need to establish “eco-conditionality criteria” for the subsidies that the government gives to companies to integrate more clean energy into their industrial processes.
Finally, Mr Nadeau-Dubois urged Mr Legault to urgently reinvest in public transport companies to avoid a reduction in services. We cannot withdraw any further from public transport. We see that today at the Société de transport de Montréal [STM]. It just doesn’t make sense, he said.
“I assume that most of the proposals will be taken up […] because now we’re going into the wall. »
— A quote from Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, co-speaker of Québec solidaire
According to the group leader of QS, the Prime Minister has a large majority in Parliament, he no longer has an excuse for the pandemic, so results can be expected on the topic of energy transition.
In addition to energy and environmental concerns, Mr Nadeau-Dubois said he had spoken to Mr Legault about the housing crisis, the cost of living, the minimum wage and healthcare employment services, including .
I will judge the usefulness of the meeting when I see the results, he concluded.
The PLQ proposes a travel commission
For his part, the interim leader of the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ), Marc Tanguay, who will meet Mr Legault on Thursday, proposes launching a national consultation on the future of energy in Quebec.
This traveling commission would address Québec’s current and future needs and the investments needed to achieve the energy transition and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. It would consult the populace and experts and would be asked to report by the end of 2023, according to the Liberal proposal, detailed in a statement Monday.
Mr. Tanguay and his energy spokesman, Gregory Kelley, want members of this commission to visit all regions of Quebec and want First Nations to be involved in the process. The commission should be chaired jointly by two MPs, one from the government and the other from whichever party they believe to be the official opposition.
According to government estimates, in order to meet Québec’s energy needs, around 100 terawatt hours (TWh) must be added to the around 210 TWh already produced annually.
Liberals believe the public must be consulted on the principles that will guide government and Hydro-Québec decisions. They point out that energy demand is expected to continue to grow, especially as Quebec looks to help its neighbors reduce their dependency on fossil fuels.
Under the circumstances, the government should not decide everything behind closed doors, Tanguay said in a statement.