(Quebec) A few days before his participation in the United Nations climate summit, COP26, François Legault would like to talk about Quebec’s overall environmental record rather than the third highway link between Quebec and Lévis. He recognizes that this megaproject of 10 billion is not “in line with the green objectives” of Quebec.
” [Est-ce qu’]can we stop showing only things that are not in line with the objectives and then look at the whole picture? “, He launched Thursday in room in reply to Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois. The parliamentary leader of Québec solidaire asked him if he was going to “take responsibility” and praise “his six-lane highway under the St. Lawrence River as a green project” during his speech at COP26, in Glasgow, Scotland, where he will be going next week.
“The Prime Minister, in his speech, he will not talk about the third link, just as he did not mention it in his opening speech, because this project, when you look at it closely, it is embarrassing for Quebec – it’s a project of the past, ”lamented Mr. Nadeau-Dubois.
PHOTO JACQUES BOISSINOT, ARCHIVES THE CANADIAN PRESS
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, parliamentary leader of Québec solidaire
Québec solidaire maintains that this declaration places the Prime Minister at odds with the Minister responsible for Canadian Relations and the Canadian Francophonie, Sonia LeBel, who said Tuesday that the third link was “a winner for the environment”. She wanted to convince the new federal Minister of the Environment, the former environmental activist Steven Guilbeault, to financially support the Caquist road project.
Reduce individual transport
The Legault government replies that with the electrification of the fleet of personal vehicles on Quebec roads, the quantity of greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted by the third link would be reduced. “By 2030, we will have 30% of our vehicles that will be electric,” explained the Minister of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change of Quebec, Benoit Charette. He estimates that with one lane reserved for buses in each direction, the third link, which could cost up to 10 billion, has “environmental virtues”.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, PRESS ARCHIVES
Benoit Charette, Minister of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change
However, a study by the Dunsky firm on Quebec’s GHG emissions reduction trajectory commissioned by the government underlines that, in order for it to reach its objectives, it will be necessary to “reduce the demand for individual transportation”. “It is essential to minimize [occasions] lost during large investments, for example […] transport infrastructure. These investments will have repercussions until 2050 and beyond and it is crucial to choose the best options now, ”read the document, published in June.
Even though this project is controversial, Mr. Charette does not believe that he will be told about the megaproject at COP26.
The minister even said he was “surprised to see that it is only the third link that [suscite] so many questions ”from the Quebec media, while this crucial climate summit is a“ first-level international meeting ”.
“I very much doubt that other countries will tell us about it, but I sense a very marked interest from certain players here. At the international level, the states and countries that will be present will be especially interested in coming to an understanding on our ways of doing things and many are interested in following the example of Quebec, ”the Minister of the Environment said with confidence.
In Quebec City, all the opposition parties criticized the government for going ahead with this project. The project, which has the potential to add cars to the roads of the greater capital region, will be subject to an assessment by the Office of Public Hearings on the Environment.
Collective transportation
Earlier this week, Transport Minister François Bonnardel announced that an exit from the future tunnel in downtown Quebec would be reserved for public transport. Residents of the Saint-Roch neighborhood were particularly worried about seeing a large flow of vehicles from the South Shore passing through its busy streets to reach the Upper Town.
“It’s a common sense approach to raise awareness among people even more [au fait] that public transport is the future. This is not a war on motorists. It is a balanced approach ”, defended the minister.
Prime Minister François Legault will attend COP26 next week in Glasgow. Minister Charette said Thursday that it was still too early to disclose what the government will announce at the summit. He promised that “interesting announcements” would be made to place Quebec on the international stage in the fight against climate change.
The government intends in particular to position itself as a leader in the electrification of transportation, while it is expected that all new vehicles sold in the province in 2035 will be electric and that Quebec will achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.