The construction of dams planned by Hydro-Québec, in fact by the government, is not caused by the domestic needs of Quebecers, but by those of new battery factories (Ford, Northvolt). These energy-intensive plants could result in a zero-sum calculation due to the significant threat they pose to the environment (undecontaminated soil, destruction of wetlands and habitats of endangered species, discharge of residues toxic). And this, at a time when nothing ensures that the automobile fleet will not, in the near future, be forced to undergo a drastic reduction (shortage of components, rubber).
The former management of Hydro-Québec, more concerned with the quality of life of eight million Quebecers, nevertheless had no shortage of solutions to this deterioration, the least costly and most sensible of which was the rehabilitation of the numerous small and medium dams distributed throughout Quebec, inoperative since the commissioning of the large Manic and La Grande networks. These small power plants are capable of powering entire small or medium-sized cities.
The construction of new dams constitutes an alteration of waterways with no benefit to Quebecers. The First Nations, likely to claim the right of the first occupant by relying in particular on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (September 13, 2007), had the wisdom to recognize the intangible character of a nature whose hydrographic network is the fundamental element. In the absence of this wisdom, we cause an imbalance which results in climatic disturbances. We know that the immense accumulated artificial bodies of water disrupt the meteorological order, in addition to emitting more greenhouse gases than other plants due to the decomposition of the flooded organic matter.
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