(Quebec) The opposition parties in Quebec have ideas for the cumulative surplus of 1.7 billion dollars from the Green Fund: Québec solidaire suggests helping farmers adapt their practices, and the Liberal Party investing in solar panels. They denounce the government’s inaction.
“If the minister needs help with ideas, at the moment, we have agricultural producers who need money, money to invest and reduce their emissions,” said the Quebec solidaire MP, Alejandra Zaga Mendez, Thursday during the question period.
Mme Zaga Mendez denounces the fact that the Legault government is not investing this money, contrary to what it wanted to do when it came to power in 2018. The Electrification and Climate Change Fund (formerly the Green Fund) “this does not is not a TFSA, it is not savings, it is funds to act and act now to fight against climate change,” she lamented.
Environment Minister Benoit Charette responded that his climate action plan “has seen its budget increase considerably since the presentation of the Plan for a Green Economy 2030”. “Almost a 40% increase in the budget for the fight against climate change has been observed in recent years. And, in the coming weeks, we will present our fourth implementation plan worth $9.3 billion. No government in the past has invested so much money,” he replied.
Emissions on the rise
Mme Zaga Mendez replied that Quebec’s GHG emissions are increasing in 2022.
We still have 1.7 billion sleeping in the coffers. The objective of this money was not just to make it grow, it was to bring to fruition actions on the ground to fight against climate change.
Aeljandra Zaga Mendez, Member of Parliament for Verdun
She pointed out that “last summer, Abitibi was burning and Charlevoix was underwater. Crops have rotted or dried in the fields. Quebec is going through heat waves and Januarys with almost no snow.”
For his part, Liberal MP Gregory Kelley wondered if the Legault government had “a lack of ideas for the Green Fund”. He believes it would be “a good idea to use the Green Fund to subsidize the purchase of solar panels and then storage batteries”.
He denounced the minister’s lack of will while there is a “climate emergency and then an energy crisis”.
Mr. Charette replied that the Liberals were responsible for a large part of the accumulation of this surplus due to mismanagement of the Green Fund.