(Montreal) Quebec and Canada as a whole are not doing enough to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions or the environment in general.
Posted at 6:19 a.m.
This observation, surprisingly, is that of the federal Minister of the Environment, Steven Guilbeault, who draws up a mixed assessment of the efforts of the Legault government in its field of competence.
“I say that as a Quebecer, I expect my government, federal and provincial, to do more on these issues. »
Called during an interview with The Canadian Press to assess the performance of the Legault government, which is beginning a second term in the continuity of the previous one, Mr. Guilbeault first hastened to emphasize the positive: “First, on the issue of carbon pricing, we have long recognized at the federal level that Quebec was showing leadership in this area. This is why the Quebec system is moving to federal equivalence and why Quebec will be able to continue to use its own system. »
Caribou remain threatened
The federal minister, who had to threaten Quebec with imposing caribou protection by way of decree, was also delighted to have been able to come to an agreement with the Legault government in this file at the last hour.
“I am very happy that we were able to reach an agreement in principle on caribou protection just before the election. I am very much looking forward to being able to start working on this with my counterpart, the Minister [de l’Environnement du Québec Benoit] Charette, for the implementation, obviously with the Aboriginal nations of Quebec. »
The agreement in principle, however, remains to be detailed in a strategic plan that Quebec plans to table in the summer of 2023. It does not contain, for the moment, concrete measures, but rather guidelines aimed at maintaining in a state “ undisturbed” two-thirds of the habitats of boreal caribou, mountain caribou and woodland caribou. The steps cannot be delayed, the herds of Charlevoix and Gaspésie being extremely weakened.
Minister Guilbeault has already warned that he will always be able to use the Species at Risk Act to come and protect the caribou if necessary. One of the key elements of this protection is the development of protected areas, particularly in the Pipmuacan and Montagnes Blanches sectors, which straddle the Côte-Nord and Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean regions.
Easier to protect the North than the South
The issue of protected areas, which undermine logging, is at the heart of a tussle between the various interests – public and private – wanting to take advantage of the resource and those wanting to protect the territory, first lead indigenous communities and environmental groups. The last two criticize the Legault government for seeking to give itself a stellar record by protecting northern areas, but for delaying in creating protected areas in the south of the province where biodiversity is greater and population access easier. , but where the allowable cut is more interesting for the industry, even though Minister Charette recently announced the creation of a few new protected areas in the south of the province.
Steven Guilbeault notes, however, that Quebec is doing like the others in this file. “This reflex of protecting land in the North more than in the South, where the land is already fragmented, where there are already significant conflicts of use, particularly in relation to urban sprawl, for example, is a Canadian issue, it is not an issue specific to Quebec. »
Upcoming Federal Urban Parks
He argues that Ottawa wants to do its part in territorial protection with a commitment to create 15 urban national parks “to bring nature closer to people because indeed not everyone can go and visit some of our very beautiful parks, but which are very far and difficult to access”.
Some projects are advanced, particularly in Toronto, but discussions are also underway with stakeholders in the Montreal region, in particular the regional environmental councils of Montreal, Laval and the Laurentians, as well as the Metropolitan Community of Montreal.
“We must protect what we have left in urban and peri-urban areas […], but you also have to think about catering. Restoration, reforestation, it’s good in the North, but it’s also good in the South,” he adds.
GHGs: insufficient efforts everywhere
But in the end, the most pressing effort, that of curbing climate change, is insufficient, he says.
“The comment I would make, I make it for everyone including my own government. We sometimes hear that in Quebec, people say: yes, but we have a very good record. It’s fine to have a good track record, but what we do, everyone, is not enough. Even the best internationally are not doing enough and everyone needs to do more.
“And that certainly includes Quebec and Canada,” he concludes, less than a week from COP27, the United Nations conference that will open next Sunday in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt.