The CAQ’s climate plan is a “failure all along the line”, denounce the opposition parties. They intend to make the environment a central issue between now and the elections.
Posted at 1:28 p.m.
“The climate battle is the battle of our century, we don’t have two chances to win it, we just have one, we won’t win it with pious hopes,” denounced the parliamentary leader of Québec solidaire. , Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, Wednesday in the room.
The leaders of the PLQ and the PQ also sounded the charge. “The CAQ government is not going to achieve its objectives because they are not concerned about the issue of the fight against climate change”, denounced Dominique Anglade.
“It is not in the priorities of the government, the environment. It wasn’t in the last election, and unfortunately it still isn’t. The longer we delay, the more the CAQ is negligent, the greater the burden on future governments to act responsibly with regard to global warming,” added Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.
The three leaders were reacting to a report by The Press which reveals that the Legault government’s promise to put 1.5 million electric cars on the road will not even achieve half of the 2030 climate target in the transport sector, according to an internal analysis. The same document also predicts that the new strategy to force dealerships to sell more zero-emission vehicles will have no significant effect for eight years.
First in North America
In the chamber, the PQ member Sylvain Gaudreau exhausted the Minister of the Environment Benoît Charette. “We are learning that the so-called tightening of the zero-emission vehicle standard foresees almost no increase in the number of electric vehicles on our roads until 2029. 2029 is ridiculous. This means that the CAQ government is heading towards a dismal failure of its own targets in terms of the sale of electric vehicles, ”he denounced. “Transport is the big portion of GHGs, that’s where we have to act. Will the minister finally show some courage, stop taking it easy on the car manufacturers and give the push for the electrification of transportation in Quebec? “, he added.
Minister Charette replied that Quebec was “ahead of other jurisdictions”. “We will be the first jurisdiction in North America to set an end to the sale of gasoline-powered vehicles [en 2035]. And if all goes well, we are also among the first in the world to adopt a similar approach. So Quebec, in terms of transportation electrification, is definitely a leader,” he retorted.
The fact remains that the Legault government’s light vehicle electrification plan in Quebec will only reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 13% by 2030 compared to 1990. This is very far from the target of -37.5%, the overall objective for Quebec, but also that which the Legault government has set for itself in the transport sector.
For Premier François Legault, however, Quebec’s record should be rejoiced. “When we look at GHGs per capita, out of 60 states and provinces, we are first, Quebec is first. Can we be a little bit proud? he asked. He also said that 50% of orders for electric buses in North America are made by Quebec.
The argument does not hold water, according to Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois. “The Prime Minister wants us to be the least worst in North America. I want us to be among the best in the world. Where did his ambition go, ”he replied.
The three parties say they are preparing their environmental plan for the general elections in October. They will then explain how they plan to achieve their climate targets.