The host of the Telejournal Greater Montreal at Radio-Canada, Patrice Roy was not kind to federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault when he interviewed him following his approval of the Bay du Nord oil project in beginning of April. While his former comrades in the environmental movement had urged him to reject this megaproject aimed at producing up to a billion barrels of oil in the marine environment, near Newfoundland – an essential condition for achieving Canadian targets in in terms of reducing greenhouse gases, according to them — Mr. Guilbeault rather extolled the merits of a project that is among the least polluting of its kind in the world.
“I’m not saying it’s a green project, he then conceded to Mr. Roy. But we must govern for the entire population, for all the interests of the population, including of course the environmental issue. That’s what we seek to do. »
Surprised by the response of the co-founder of Équiterre and former activist of Greenpeace, Mr. Roy threw this pike at him: “If you have to choose your best day, it won’t be today. »
Indeed, the minister quickly saw himself scorched by environmentalists, who accused him of having renounced his principles by endorsing an increase in oil production in the country. “Mr. Guilbeault has a whole examination of conscience to do, had hammered Patrick Bonin of Greenpeace. Today’s decision represents a triumph for a type of policy that only worsens the climate crisis and the global reliance on fossil fuels that are burning the planet. »
It goes without saying that the appointment of Mr. Guilbeault to the Environment last fall raised great hopes among ecologists. If they were not entirely disappointed, it is clear that the Emissions Reduction Plan for 2030, tabled last month by Mr. Guilbeault—which forecasts an increase in Canadian oil production of between 22% and 33% % by the end of the decade — has left many hungry. His endorsement of Bay du Nord reinforced the impression that Mr. Guilbeault had definitely traded in his environmentalist shirt for a politician’s costume.
However, now the former environmental activist is getting back on his feet by threatening to impose an unprecedented decree on Quebec to protect the essential habitat of woodland caribou. Something to help restore its environmental image. “As an activist committed to strengthening the tools of the Species at Risk Act, I’m very happy to see a minister finally show a willingness to use them,” Rachel Plotkin told The Canadian Press. , from the David Suzuki Foundation. She is not the only one to sing the praises of Mr. Guilbeault in this file, he whose ultimatum summoning Quebec to present him with a protection plan for boreal caribou no later than April 20 has remained unanswered.
Mr. Guilbeault’s frustration with the lack of seriousness shown by François Legault’s government in the woodland caribou file is not in doubt. Of all the provinces that Ottawa has asked to develop a caribou protection plan — and which are delaying — Quebec is the furthest behind. Ironically, it was with Alberta that Ottawa came to an agreement first. Two weeks ago, Jason Kenney’s government tabled plans to protect livestock in two of his province’s eleven regions. The agreement also binds representatives of the forestry and oil industries, Aboriginal communities and other stakeholders.
Alberta expects to receive millions of dollars from Ottawa to implement its current plans and more to come. Mr. Guilbeault also says he is close to reaching an agreement with the Ontario government of Doug Ford. He has come under fire from his province’s Auditor General for exempting logging companies from the requirements of the Endangered Species Act.
Mr. Legault insists that the fate of the caribou is the sole responsibility of Quebec and that Ottawa does not have to get involved. “According to our jurists, he said, caribou are clearly a field of jurisdiction of Quebec, not of the federal government. Faced with such a refusal, Mr. Guilbeault had no choice but to remind Mr. Legault that the Species at Risk Act gives him all the authority necessary to intervene to protect boreal caribou.
The Quebec forest industry, which fears that a federal decree will definitively put an end to its activities in certain regions, is asking the Legault government to negotiate “constructively” with Ottawa. “Our industry fears the negative consequences of decisions that could be taken without consultation with the Quebec government,” said the director of the Quebec Forest Industry Council, Louis Germain, in a letter to Mr. Legault. Mr. Guilbeault will have to choose between restoring his environmental image and “governing for the entire population”.