Faced with the increase in extreme weather events, Québec solidaire calls for a Climate Emergency Fund dedicated to communities affected by climate-related disasters, such as storms, floods or forest fires.
“The science is clear: extreme weather events like the ice storm that we experienced last week and which caused a lot of damage will be more and more frequent in the future,” pleaded the head of Québec solidaire in environment, Alejandra Zaga Mendez.
In order to be better prepared for possible disasters, the left formation urges the government of François Legault to set aside money specifically dedicated to climate-related disasters.
The Climate Emergency Fund would put in place “emergency and disaster planning and preparedness measures”, provide immediate support to affected communities and help rebuild damaged infrastructure.
“It is not normal that in 2023, Quebec has not yet set up an Emergency Fund specifically dedicated to climate disasters,” said Ms.me Mendez.
Québec solidaire had also made the claim last November in the wake of the COP27 in Egypt, where the Minister of the Environment Benoit Charette had announced financial assistance to the most vulnerable countries.
The political party wants to follow the example of British Columbia, which set up a similar fund in 2017. “While the government has stabilization reserves and contingency reserves, it has no money put in side specifically for climate emergencies, ”argued the political formation.