For nearly five years now, the Canada Carbon surface mine and quarry project in Grenville-sur-la-Rouge has met the stubborn refusal of a large part of the population and its elected officials. Five years of court battles, newspaper articles, media interviews and the threat of an unprecedented $ 96 million gag lawsuit have failed to dent citizens’ resolve. And the recent unopposed return to power of Mayor Tom Arnold and a team of councilors, all very concerned about this project, is striking proof of this.
Indeed, it is increasingly difficult to deny the fact that the regions are no longer the exclusive playground for mining and forestry. However, the laws governing the exploitation of natural resources still favor natural resources in a way that is no longer acceptable today. For example, it suffices to read article 246 of the Law on land use planning and development of Quebec which stipulates that no article of this law takes precedence over the Mining Act in order to do so. to convince. Today as yesterday, private interests, with the approval of the Government of Quebec, have the upper hand over the natural resources belonging to all Quebecers.
Recently, at COP26, Canada made a commitment to protect 30% of its territory by 2030. Without question, this is a step in the right direction. With regard to Quebec, the province still retains only 17% of its territory but aims for 30% by 2030. All that is fine words? Blah-blah-blah, as Greta Thunberg would say? We will see. But you should know that of the 17% of protected areas, 16% are in the north and only 1% in the south …
Laws that age badly
Would it be asking too much of our government to show more ambition in this area? That it act as quickly as possible to protect a larger portion of its territory in the south? In the meantime, the natural territory located outside the major centers and which is now so essential for the population to recreate and recharge their batteries seems, for its part, totally abandoned to the boundless appetite of the mining and forestry companies. The claims mining companies in the Outaouais, Lanaudière and the Laurentians have they not increased by more than 700% in recent years? Right in the tourist regions most popular with Quebecers, and without the population having any real power to oppose it.
Should it be the same forever? Why couldn’t the population, through the RCMs, decide what portion of their territory to allocate to mining and forestry? Little, a lot or not at all depending on the development priorities? As for the government, nothing would prevent it from reserving the right to intervene for exceptional reasons, such as during the last world conflict when all resources were mobilized for the war effort.
The question to be asked is this: why, at the start of XXIe century, are we still managing our natural resources as if we were still a colony? Isn’t it infantilizing the population to prevent it from deciding how its territory should be developed? We may no longer be in Duplessis’ time, but there is still a bit of his spirit that survives when it comes to disposing of our natural resources. It is clear that these laws from another era are a sword of Damocles which still threatens the regions of Quebec.