The Ministers of the Environment of Canada and Quebec have been blithely lured in the last few days because of their timidity in climate matters, especially in the context of the publication of the third and final part of the IPCC reports.
Quebec Minister Benoit Charette has been criticized in particular for lacking ambition because he said that it is impossible to raise greenhouse gas reduction targets by 2030. He is also criticized for his support for the third link project between Québec and Lévis and its lack of ambition with regard to the electrification of transportation.
On the federal side, Steven Guilbeault has surely had the worst week of his political life following the Trudeau government’s decision to authorize the Bay du Nord project, which will add at least 200,000 barrels of oil per day. This is a complete nonsense project, when the IPCC says that global GHG emissions must be capped no later than 2025 and the International Energy Agency says that we must give up any new fossil fuel project.
I myself have contributed to these criticisms in the National Assembly, in the traditional media and on social networks. This is my role and I try to assume it as much as possible by constantly proposing solutions.
However, in defense of these two ministers, let us say that they cannot take on their shoulders the entire climate responsibility of governments. Limiting global warming to 2°C, ideally 1.5°C, by the end of the century, as prescribed by the Paris Agreement, requires an unprecedented mobilization of the entire machinery of government, which is not adapted to this challenge, both federally and provincially.
Climate governance does not cause immediate reductions in megatons of CO2, but it is essential to coordinate the fight and ensure that targets are reached. The Quebec Ministry of the Environment is one of the poor children of the state budget, accounting for barely 0.4% of the government expenditure budget. It has regulatory and technical responsibilities for environmental assessment, monitoring, inspection, etc.
However, when it comes to climate, governments must act without compromise in transportation, land use planning, agriculture, the economy, energy and, of course, health. The Treasury Board must also act in the authorization of various government programs, in the management of expenditures, in procurement and in order to have sustainable infrastructures. We cannot entrust a single minister, no matter how green, with all the responsibility for the radical transformation of society that this unprecedented crisis demands.
In other words, you have to take the climate out of the environment.
Yes, we must criticize the current bearers of climate issues within governments, but it is imperative to also direct the pressure on their colleagues and, above all, on the prime ministers. It is the latter who must take the climate issue to the highest level of the State and give the marching order to all the ministers. Unfortunately, none of the prime ministers currently in office is up to the challenge.
Canadian and Quebec public administrations remained frozen in the 20thand century. The climate crisis calls for a review of state governance with courageous prime ministers who will really take this issue seriously and who will share the responsibility for reducing GHGs with all members of the Council of Ministers. The urgency of the situation demands it.