The exchanges that Northvolt had with the Legault government without being registered in the register of lobbyists in Quebec, that The Press revealed Friday, are the subject of a complaint to the Lobbying Commissioner of Quebec.
“The Northvolt saga raised significant concerns as soon as it was announced: we are confirmed today that we are right to be concerned,” declared Solidarity MP Haroun Bouazzi, spokesperson for Québec Solidaire in terms of energy, indicating that he himself had filed a complaint.
Northvolt had discussions with officials from the Ministry of the Economy, Innovation and Energy as early as November 2022 and a lunch with Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon in February 2023 without being registered on the lobbyist register.
These meetings also took place before the Legault government modified the rules to prevent the Swedish multinational from having to submit its giga-battery factory project in Montérégie to the Bureau d’audiences publique sur l’environnement (BAPE).
Voluntarily omitting meetings and circumventing environmental rules, is that François Legault’s “change of attitude”?
Haroun Bouazzi, Solidarity Quebec
In addition, the biologist from the Ministry of the Environment who had to analyze the authorization request submitted by Northvolt to be able to begin the deforestation and filling of wetlands on its land would be the same one who had accompanied the company in the previous six months to help him prepare his request, said Radio-Canada on Friday.
These new revelations show the need to submit the project to an evaluation by the BAPE, believes Québec solidaire.
“To restore trust and promote social acceptability towards the Northvolt battery factory project, there is only one solution: François Legault must start a BAPE without delay,” says Haroun Bouazzi.
The Ministry of the Environment must “support businesses”, maintains Legault
Prime Minister François Legault maintains that supporting businesses is part of the role of the Ministry of the Environment, while the opposition is talking about preferential treatment and potentially a free pass in the Northvolt battery factory project in Montérégie.
We learn on Friday in The Press that the government had discussions with the company even before it was registered in the company register, and what is more, Radio-Canada revealed that civil servants accompanied Northvolt in its approval procedures.
The biologist, who works at the ministry and who recommended issuing a ministerial authorization to Northvolt, had several discussions with the company so that it could adjust to the requirements.
Which, according to the Prime Minister, is a usual way of doing things.
“The role of the Ministry of the Environment is to support businesses,” said François Legault, at a press briefing in his constituency of L’Assomption on Friday.
Obtaining ministerial authorization should not be “an obstacle course,” added the Prime Minister.
“The Ministry of the Environment helps a company comply with the environmental standards that we have in Quebec which are the highest in North America, I think that it is part of its role to do that,” said Mr. Legault.
But the opposition sees things differently.
“The more we learn about the Northvolt issue, the more the doubts are present or the appearance of preferential treatment to the company appears obvious, the more the demands for greater transparency from the government are present,” said PQ MP Joël Arseneau in press scrum in parliament.
Called to react to these criticisms, the Prime Minister spoke of his pride in having helped Northvolt establish itself in Quebec.
“For several weeks I have heard the three opposition parties, the Liberal Party, Québec Solidaire and the Parti Québécois criticize Northvolt’s investment. I live very well and I am very proud that Quebec is becoming a world leader. I weigh my words. A world leader in the green economy. »
Joël Arseneau also questioned a lunch by the founder of Northvolt, Pablo Cerruti, with the Minister of the Economy, Pierre Fitzgibbon, on February 6, 2023, which was not declared in the lobbyist register.
Two weeks later, a request to change environmental regulations was filed and it favored Northvolt by exempting it from an examination process by the Office of Public Hearings on the Environment (BAPE).
“We suspect that the company had a free pass and without blaming or being against, in any way, an industrial project of this scale, we reiterate that the government, by keeping us secret, is harming the project, harming to Northvolt and alters the confidence we can have in a project like this,” said the PQ MP.
Asked whether the rules surrounding the BAPE examination process for a company like Northvolt had been changed before or after the government’s first meetings with the Swedish company, François Legault replied: “The answer is simple. There were no standards for the battery sector. In fact, there was none on so-called green economy companies.”
For her part, MP Christine Labrie, from Québec solidaire (QS), affirmed that this file is being managed “completely crooked” by Mr. Fitzgibbon and that many rules are being circumvented.
With Stéphane Blais and Patrice Bergeron, The Canadian Press, at L’Assomption