The Minister of Economy and Energy, Pierre Fitzgibbon, on Tuesday ruled out any possibility of giving the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement (BAPE) a mandate to examine Quebec’s energy future.
Mr. Fitzgibbon affirmed that a public consultation already planned will be sufficient to hear the points of view on the subject.
“People will be able to express their opinion,” he said at the entrance to a meeting of CAQ deputies. There will be public hearings, consultations, but there will be no BAPE. »
According to the Minister, it would take too long to proceed by entrusting the BAPE with a mandate on Québec’s energy future.
“It’s much faster with public hearings, we do that in a year, he explained. A BAPE takes two, three years. »
The form and timing of these consultations have not yet been determined. However, the Minister assured that the entire population will be able to be heard in this context.
“People are going to have the opportunity to express their opinion without a doubt, it’s very important,” Mr. Fitzgibbon said.
Beyond the review of specific projects, the BAPE also has the mandate to carry out mandates on broader issues.
In 2020, the government notably asked the organization to carry out an investigation with a public hearing, commonly called “generic BAPE”, on the issue of waste management.
Social debate
In recent weeks, calls have multiplied for the government to request a generic BAPE on the energy future. A hundred signatories recently sent the government a letter requesting a generic BAPE.
In his inaugural speech, Prime Minister François Legault had himself called for a social debate on this subject, without specifying the forum.
This request followed its intention to relaunch the construction of hydroelectric dams in the context where Hydro-Québec must add more than 50% to its production to achieve the energy transition of its economy by 2050.
The co-spokesperson for Québec solidaire, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, indicated on Tuesday that he was in favor of a generic BAPE on the energy future of Québec.
“Hydro-Quebec is a legacy of my grandparents’ generation, it’s a national jewel,” he said in a press briefing. It is already valuable, but it will become even more so in the context of the energy transition. »
According to Mr. Nadeau-Dubois, a broader debate is needed on the role of the government corporation in the current context.
“It is the collective tool that will be most useful to us in the energy transition, he explained. It can’t just become Pierre Fitzgibbon’s personal toy. We must collectively define Hydro-Québec’s orientations in the context of the energy transition, then this BAPE proposal, we support it because it goes in that direction. »