Political parties are planting trees to erase the carbon footprint they made during the election campaign. Québec solidaire will plant “716 trees” well counted, while the Liberal Party “a minimum of 357”, and the PQ, 71. If it undertakes to neutralize its polluting emissions, the Coalition avenir Québec still does not know how it will will take nearly two weeks after the election.
For their part, the Conservatives maintain their position: they will not offset the carbon dioxide emissions released by their caravan throughout the election campaign. Even if their bus swallowed 11,500 kilometers of asphalt in 36 days.
Conversely, the other four political parties to have used campaign buses will “reimburse” their carbon footprint by buying credits or planting trees.
Election periods usually require political parties to travel thousands of kilometers to reach the four corners of Quebec — sometimes even on board a plane, as the Coalition avenir Québec did (Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Gaspésie, Côte-Nord), the Liberal Party of Quebec (Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Nord-du-Québec) and the Parti Québécois (Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Gaspésie, Côte-Nord, Saguenay-Lac- Saint Jean).
It is sure that it does not fit in my values not to compensate. [Mais] I’m not surprised that the Conservative Party, which advocates individual freedoms and doesn’t really advocate the environment, doesn’t compensate.
The CAQ rolls and rolls
This year, the Coalition avenir Québec caravan traveled the longest distance of the five main parties (more than 15,000 kilometres). With its many trips to eastern Quebec, the Parti Québécois comes second. Important downside: the Québec solidaire (QS) caravan – which housed its co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois – traveled approximately 9,200 kilometers, but the van chartered by Manon Massé to make its own tour of Quebec campuses covered 12. 000 on his side.
Emissions from this parallel journey of the solidarity co-spokesperson are obviously lower than those of the main caravan. The party’s carbon footprint has been calculated at just under 50 tonnes of CO2 — for the two caravans, including the media bus.
“This is twice as many trees as needed to offset emissions, since we have chosen the ‘preventive’ option of the Carbone boréal program. [programme de compensations carbone de l’Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC)] “wrote to To have to QS press officer Simone Lirette.
Several political parties, both federal and provincial, do business with Carbone boréal, explains the instigator of the project, the director of the Eco-Consulting Chair at UQAC, Claude Villeneuve. “Suppose there are 50 tons [de gaz à effet de serre], it will cost $35 a ton, he says. This $35 is a donation to research,” he says.
The Liberal Party of Quebec had estimated its emissions at nearly 50 tons before the campaign and will reassess them, wrote the director of communications for the official opposition party, Maxime Roy.
No refund
The PCQ had already indicated that it did not want to offset its carbon emissions from the campaign. The 11,500 kilometers added to the odometer of his bus do not modify this position. “All Quebecers must be able to live in a healthy environment: air, water and soil. To reduce costs and our ecological impact, the Conservative Party of Quebec has decided to use only a bus, ”explained the press secretary for Chief Éric Duhaime, Cédric Lapointe, in an exchange of emails.
“It is sure that it does not fit into my values not to compensate, retorts Claude Villeneuve. [Mais] I’m not surprised that the Conservative Party, which advocates individual freedoms and doesn’t really advocate the environment, doesn’t compensate. »
The Parti Québécois, which also had a single bus, estimates 10 tonnes of CO2 its broadcasts for the 36 days of campaigning. The Coalition avenir Québec could not provide information on its CO emissions2 in time for the publication of our article. However, it undertakes to make them public and to compensate them.
An election campaign also means long hours on the road without stopping to eat. In caravans, politicians, party employees and journalists often nibble on the go. Despite this, only one party was equipped with a compost bin: Québec solidaire. The Parti Québécois had only equipped itself with a garbage bin — no recycling.