Some 16,000 Hydro-Québec union members are preparing for the launch, next Monday, of an advertising campaign against the privatization of electricity production in Quebec. The Minister of Economy and Energy, Pierre Fitzgibbon speaks of a “fear” campaign and recalls that private production “currently permitted and legal” in certain cases “will remain so”. We must “be strategic,” he said, at the dawn of the tabling of his bill on the regulation of clean energies.
“Let’s put our energies in the right place. We must not let the private sector take it over,” we can read in the thirty-second advertising video, first unveiled by Radio-Canada on Friday.
There we see several speakers praising the public model of the Quebec electricity network as well as its low prices. Behind the initiative: the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) which represents nearly 16,000 Hydro-Québec union members, spread across seven affiliated local sections. They make up almost three quarters of the state company’s workforce.
In a written response sent by email to Duty, Minister Fitzgibbon reacted by saying that “we must not fall into campaigns of fear and disinformation”. He adds that “in some cases, private production is currently permitted and legal and will remain so. » He also believes that “in a context of tightening supply and demand, we must be strategic while remaining rigorous to ensure energy security”.
For its part, the management of Hydro-Québec referred us to a statement by CEO Michael Sabia during his appearance before the parliamentary committee on November 30. “Mr. Sabia was very clear in his response on this subject,” we are told, before quoting his words. “I am completely uncomfortable with the idea of denationalizing a public institution of this importance for the future of Quebec,” he said.
Worried union members
Neither the management of Hydro-Québec nor the Quebec government have suggested that the state-owned company could be denationalized. But the union fears that a growing portion of electricity production in Quebec could be entrusted to the private sector, in a context where it must double by 2050 to meet growing demand.
“Mr. Sabia, when he tells us that he does not want to sell Hydro-Québec, we believe him. But what we see in the action plan is that they want to create more partnerships with the private sector,” notes Pierre-Guy Sylvestre, economist in the CUPE research department, who speaks on behalf Hydro-Québec union members.
“Currently, approximately 10% of electricity in Quebec is produced privately. We don’t want more. We even want less,” says Mr. Sylvestre.
The advertising campaign by Hydro-Québec union members comes as the Minister of the Economy, Innovation and Energy, Pierre Fitzgibbon is due to present a bill next month on regulating clean energy. Union members of the state-owned company fear that this bill will open the way to more partnerships with the private sector.
“We want a public consultation with all of civil society,” demands Mr. Sylvestre. “We have fears about the prices. We also have fears about the fact that someone who is in a remote region has less chance of being connected to the network if it is not a public company that takes care of it,” he says.
All unionized Hydro-Québec employees are in negotiations for the renewal of their collective agreements, some of which expired on December 31 and others expire on December 31. Mr. Sylvestre denies any link between these negotiations and the advertising campaign.