The Legault government still intends to increase its nickel concentration standard in the air for economic reasons, despite the opposition of the mayor of Quebec and the citizens of Limoilou who fear for their health.
“The concerns are much more about air quality than the nickel standard. The new standard is proposed under clearly established scientific rules,” pleaded Environment Minister Benoît Charette during the Quebec period. “Yes, there is an economic will behind all this, but it should never be done and it will never be done to the detriment of public health.”
Quebec wants to allow the mining industry to quintuple the emission standard for nickel particles in the air from 14 ng to 70 ng daily.
However, he is swimming against the tide in this matter. Even the mayor of Quebec, Bruno Marchand, opposes the increase after hearing the explanations from government experts and regional public health.
Motion defeated
The CAQ even refused on Tuesday to debate a motion presented by the Parti Québécois, jointly with the other oppositions, which asked Quebec to respect the precautionary principle in terms of nickel concentration.
“It is unacceptable that the Government of Quebec, that the Minister of the Environment Benoit Charette, does not respect its own law, which is the Sustainable Development Act, which has what I call: the principle “does not take luck”, which is the precautionary principle, and which must be applied in the file of nickel standards here in Quebec, particularly in lower town and in the Limoilou district”, affirmed the deputy for Jonquière Sylvain Gaudreault.
Economic
For the Legault government, nickel is “a key component for the electrification of transport” and for its development strategy for the battery sector for electric vehicles.
According to the Liberal MP, Isabelle Melançon, the Minister of the Environment puts certain economic interests before the health of citizens.
“In a notice dated February 19, 2021, National Capital Public Health notes that the rationale for the new standard is not toxicological, but rather economic. For two years now, the government has been asking Quebecers to listen to public health,” she said.
The parliamentary leader of Québec solidaire, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois praised the leadership of the mayor of Québec, Bruno Marchand, and the united front of all the elected officials of Québec City.
“I think we have to face the facts, there, this decision of the CAQ, it does not pass. It does not go to Montreal, it does not go to Quebec, it does not go to Rouyn-Noranda. In fact, it goes nowhere. In Quebec, the health of the world should always come before the profits of multinationals,” he said.