François Legault, Prime Minister, and Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, as champions of the energy transition file, which you have made a priority for your government for 2023, you seem to finally want to tackle the decarbonization of Quebec’s energy system. Cheer.
This historic turning point is long overdue: oil, gas and, to a small extent, coal generate 70% of the territory’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To decarbonize Quebec, we must therefore break our dependence on these fossil fuels. However, the fight against global warming cannot be tackled in isolation. The proposed solutions must also respond to the constraints posed by other equally existential crises, namely the depletion of resources, the accelerated degradation of natural environments and the collapse of biodiversity.
However, despite your plea for energy sobriety, you seem to take it for granted that the continuous increase in energy demand is inevitable, that we must mainly respond to it by massively increasing the production of renewable electricity while developing the sector gas from renewable sources, that the planet can provide the materials necessary for this purpose at realistic costs, that the ecosystems on which the economy depends would resist this increased pressure and that the population would accept these projects.
In our opinion, nothing is less certain. This is why a real societal debate on the energy future of Quebec is essential, which would include the scientific community, civil society, indigenous peoples and the most vulnerable populations, who risk being penalized by the transition if they are not duly consulted.
Ask the right questions
Is it really necessary to build “half a Hydro-Québec” or even more, as you postulate, to perpetuate modes of production, consumption, housing and travel that fuel waste and make us systematically break down the wall of planetary boundaries? Among other things, do we really need to develop our last intact rivers to replace seven million gasoline vehicles with seven million electric vehicles? At what ecological, human and economic costs? Are there better options?
Will we really squander the public funds of the transition for the large-scale production of so-called “renewable” natural gas which will feed on massive removals of forest biomass, the maintenance of industrial farming such as megapigseries and the continuation of food waste?
How many species are we still willing to sacrifice by destroying natural habitats to build new dams, extract the metals needed for electrification or produce so-called “renewable” gas and burn it?
Will the population accept a boom in hydroelectric, wind, mining and other projects? With the threat of oil and gas drilling finally over, do we really want to embark on a new war of attrition between civil society and government?
If you attempt to shove these thorny issues under the rug, your government risks facing a never-ending series of outcry that will paralyze climate action rather than stimulate it.
Target the best choices
As for energy sobriety, you are quite right to give it precedence. However, your recent remarks suggest that this responsibility lies first with households, who will have to start their dishwashers at midnight and lower the heating when the house is empty — very logical proposals, but very short. In fact, the residential sector is only responsible for 18% of the energy consumed in Quebec, compared to 28% for the transportation sector and 48% for industrial, commercial and institutional uses.
Are we to understand that, in your opinion, families will have to multiply the small gestures of energy saving at home while your government will continue to inflate the energy excess of the transport sector, by building new motorway infrastructures such as the third link Québec-Lévis, and that of the industrial sector, by strengthening our vocation as a host country for energy-intensive multinationals?
Nothing condemns you to rush headlong into a policy of all-out increase in energy production or into a sobriety bill that would not attack as a priority Quebec’s industrial policy, transportation infrastructure and the rapid transition of buildings towards very low, if not net zero, energy consumption. In its most recent report, the IPCC concludes that it would be possible to reduce global energy demand by 45% in 2050, compared to 2020, while ensuring decent living conditions for all.
If the planet can cut its energy consumption almost in half, imagine the gains to which the energy ogre that is Quebec can aspire!
In short, Mr. Prime Minister and Mr. Minister, you can try to exploit the climate crisis to multiply energy infrastructure projects, mining extraction and industrial establishments which are bound to come up against opposition. citizen. But you can also rise above short-sighted financial calculations and pave the way for informed collective choices, as consensual as possible, by launching the real societal debate that is needed. We ask you to choose the second option.
*The complete list of those who have signed this letter (one signature per organization):
1. Alain Branchaud, General Manager, SNAP Quebec
2. Marie-Soleil Gagné, Executive Director, Viable Transport Access
3. Dominique Daigneault, President, Central Council of Metropolitan Montreal – CSN
4. André-Yanne Parent, Executive Director, Climate Reality Canada
5. Christian Savard, General Manager, Living in the City
6. Françoise Remel, Vice-President, Quebec Interprofessional Health Federation-FIQ
7. Henri Jacob, President, Boreal Action
8. Éric Pineault, President of the Scientific Committee and Professor, Institute of Environmental Sciences, UQAM
9. Émile Boisseau-Bouvier, Climate Policy Analyst, Équiterre
10. Laure Waridel, ecosociologist and co-instigator of Mères au front
11. Charles Bonhomme, Public Affairs Manager, David Suzuki Foundation
12. Emmanuel Rondia, Director General, Regional Council for the Environment of Montreal
13. Sarah V. Doyon, Executive Director, Trajectory Quebec
14. Christian Daigle, General President, Union of Public and Parapublic Employees of Quebec (SFPQ)
15. Rodrigue Turgeon, lawyer and co-spokesperson, Coalition Québec Meilleur mine
16. Patrick Bonin, Climate-Energy Campaigner, Greenpeace Canada
17. Claude Vaillancourt, President, ATTAC-Quebec
18. Jean-François Boisvert, President, Montreal Climate Coalition
19. Étienne Guertin, PhD candidate in modeling carbon neutral transitions, Concordia University
20. Thibault Rehn, Coordinator, GMO Vigilance
21. Marc Nantel, spokesperson, Regroupement Vigilance Mines de l’Abititi et du Témiscamingue (REVIMAT)
22. N Léo Beaudet, North River Landfill Alert Coalition (CAER)
23. Andrea Levy, PhD in History, Concordia University; Ambre Fourrier, doctoral candidate in sociology, UQAM; Bastien Boucherat, doctoral candidate in geography, UdeM; Louis Marion, Philosopher, members of Polemos
24. Mélanie Hubert, President, Autonomous Federation of Education (FAE)
25. Frédéric Charlier, Member of the Board of Directors, The Shifters Montreal
26. Christiane Bernier, Trois-Rivières without pesticides and Biodiversity Coalition-No to Bti
27. Éric Ferland, General Manager and Founding Member, Foire ÉCOSPHÈRE
28. Carole Dupuis, spokesperson, UNEplanète eco-citizen movement
29. Jean-Pierre Finet, Analyst, Group of Environmental Energy Organizations (ROEE)
30. André Bélanger, Executive Director, Rivers Foundation
31. Jennifer Smith, Founding Member, For Our Children Montreal
32. Réal Lalande, President, Action Climat Outaouais (ACO)
33. Pierre Pagé, spokesperson, Montreal For All
34. François Geoffroy, The Planet Comes to Parliament
35. Charles-Antoine Bachand, Ecological transition La Pêche
36. Simon Chavarie, Workers for Climate Justice (TJC)
37. Paul Casavant, President, TerraVie
38. Patricia Posadas, Prosperity Without Oil
39. Jacques Rousseau, Quebec Hydrocarbon Vigilance Group
40. Pascal Bergeron, Green Environment Plus
41. Jacques Benoit, co-editor of the DUC Plan, GMob (GroupMobilisation)
42. Irène Dupuis, Saint-Antoine-de-Tilly – Living environment
43. Martin Poirier, co-spokesperson, NO to an oil spill in the St. Lawrence
44. Patrick Provost, co-founder and ex-coordinator, Regroupement Des Universitaires
45. Pierre Avignon, citizen committee Towards a green valley
46. Mélanie Busby, Ahunstsic-Cartierville Environmental Mobilization
47. Sylvie Berthiaume, Sutton Environment Solidarity
48. Bernard Hudon, Justice and Faith Center
49. Lucie Bergeron, Transition Capitale-Nationale
50. Quentin Lehmann, the Ecotheque
51. Chantal Levert, Quebec Network of Ecological Groups-RQGE
52. Isabelle Grondin Hernandez, The time to be an activist
53. Sylvain Lacroix, Green Environment Coalition
54. Louise Royer, Social Pastoral Office, Catholic Diocese of Montreal
55. Lucie Massé, spokesperson, Action Environnement Basses-Laurentides
56. Émilie Laurin-Dansereau, Energy Manager, ACEF du Nord de Montréal
57. Isabelle Thérien, People’s Convergence
58. Mireille Asselin, The Assumption in Transition
59. Anaïs Houde, Mobilization 6600 Parc-Nature MHM
60. Helena Arroyo, Equitas
61. Priscilla Gareau PhD, Managing Director, The Ambioterra Group
62. Louise Gagné, Forgotten on the Bus
63. David Roy, Quebec Biodiversity Mural
64. Krystel Marylène Papineau, Manager, Coalition Sortons la Caisse du Carbone
65. Yenny Vega Cárdenas, President, International Observatory for the Rights of Nature
66. Katherine Collin, Founder, Campus Biodiversity Network
67. François Riou, co-organizer, Technoparc Oiseaux
68. Jacqueline Romano-Toramanian, President, AQPERE (Quebec Association for Environmental Education)
69. Julie Lafortune, Director, Canada Research Chair in Ecological Economics, UQO
70. Véronique Fournier, Executive Director, Montreal Urban Ecology Center
71. Raymond Stone Iwaasa, President, Great Peace Organization
72. Solange Tremblay, President, Sustainability|Communication Group
73. Carol Saucier, Solidarity Gaspésie Citizen Group
74. Marie-Andrée Gauthier, member of the coordination committee of the Quebec Coordination of the World March of Women (CQMMF)
75. Julie Robillard, co-coordinator, Popular Education and Community Action Movement of Quebec (MÉPACQ)
76. Anne-Severine Guitard. Diocesan Committee for Integral Ecology (DEI Committee)
77. Louise Gratton, President, Nature Quebec
78. Caroline Dufresne, Coordinator, Shared Knowledge Workshops
79. Patricia Clermont, coordinator of the Quebec Association of Physicians for the Environment
80. Elsa Beaulieu Bastien, for the team at the Participation, Resourcing and Training Hub (CPRF)