Prime Minister François Legault denies that he is already in the pre-election campaign in eastern Quebec, where he announced major education and energy projects on Wednesday.
His government will notably authorize Hydro-Quebec to issue calls for tenders for 2,300 MW for wind and renewable energy.
This is the largest call for tenders for renewable energy in the history of Quebec, said Mr. Legault during a press conference in Gaspé.
“We are taking concrete action, both for the environment and to create wealth, with Quebec workers, to continue to develop a more prosperous, greener and prouder Quebec,” he declared.
A first energy block of 1,000 MW will be reserved for the wind power sector, while a second block of 1,300 MW will be open to the entire renewable energy sector (solar, biomass, etc.).
This is necessary, because Quebec is heading towards an energy deficit, while the needs will continue to increase, in particular due to the electrification of the economy, according to the Premier.
He said he has reconciled with the wind industry, which he once considered expensive and heavily subsidized. Today, “the cost of wind power has come down a lot,” he said.
“The other advantage […] is that it’s a lot faster to put in place than a new dam. We think we are able, with the contracts we are announcing today, that some will be completed from 2027. “
François Legault denied that he was trying to woo voters in eastern Quebec ahead of the Oct. 3 ballot, saying instead that he was aiming to “meet the needs of Quebec citizens.”
“We see that we are going to run out of energy, so we are not in favor of waiting six months before announcing that we need energy”, he replied to a journalist who asked him if he was in the pre-election campaign.
University courses on the Islands and in Gaspésie
Earlier, the Prime Minister had announced the granting of $1.35 million per year to the Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR) so that it can settle permanently in the Gaspésie — Îles -de-la-Madeleine.
Four fields of university studies are targeted: management sciences, nursing sciences, social work and education (preschool and elementary education).
At a press conference in the Magdalen Islands, Mr. Legault declared that the objective was twofold: to retain young people in the region and to fill positions for nurses, social workers and teachers.
“These are three sectors that are important, and in addition to regular loans and scholarships, there is a $5,000 scholarship that is given in these sectors,” he said.
The financial assistance announced Wednesday will allow UQAR to offer face-to-face university courses on the three campuses of the Cégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles, namely in Gaspé, Carleton-sur-Mer and the Îles-de-la- Magdalene.
The rector of UQAR, François Deschênes, welcomed the announcement. He pointed out that more than 75% of people trained at UQAR subsequently obtained employment in the regions.
“We firmly believe that having a permanent university on site can make a difference,” said Mr. Deschênes.
“We want (young people) to migrate less to the big centers, we want to retain them, but also, by having an offer on site, we are able to hope to attract them from other regions and even internationally” , he added.