On the path to green transition, the government of François Legault opts for continuity. The Minister of the Environment, Benoit Charette, remains in office, but is entrusted with a new branch of the fight against climate change: Wildlife and Parks.
The Coalition avenir Québec government thus confirms its intentions to split a ministry long considered antithetical by pressure groups, that of Forests, Wildlife and Parks. However, he does not reassure the community, mainly dissatisfied with the work of Mr. Charette in the environment during the last mandate.
As Minister of the Environment and the Fight Against Climate Change, Mr. Charette will be responsible for considerably reducing Quebec’s greenhouse gas emissions. “By far, these were the files that I wanted to keep, said the main interested party when meeting the media after his swearing in. We have initiated important work over the past few years, but we are aware that there is still much, much to do. »
While the government’s goal is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, since 1990 it has only succeeded in reducing its polluting emissions by 2.7%. The intermediate target of -37.5% in 2030 compared to 1990 is also a long way off. As for the CAQ government’s green plan, it provides for only half of the measures necessary to achieve Quebec’s climate objectives.
” Joint project “
In his post-swearing in speech from the Council of Ministers, Prime Minister François Legault sounded the charge: we must “decarbonize Quebec”, he said. “It has to be a joint project,” he said, while recounting that his two boys made a point of regularly reminding him of the importance of the fight against climate change.
“You don’t know, on Friday evening, how we talk about the environment. »
On the sidelines of the creation of a post of “superminister” of the Economy and Energy, Benoit Charette praised Thursday the benefits of hydroelectricity in the green transition. ” [Ça] will be one of the keys to precisely decarbonizing our industry,” he said.
The electrification of car and industrial parks occupies an important part of the green intentions of the CAQ government. It cannot be the only priority, said in an interview with Le Devoir the Holder of the Chair of Energy Sector Management at HEC Montreal, Pierre-Olivier Pineau.
“The question is not so much: is it [M. Charette], the right person, or is it someone else? It is: is the current government ready to step up the pace to reach the 2030 targets. Until proven otherwise, the answer is no, because they have shown no will to implement the elements [nécessaires] “, he said. The full professor at HEC cites the example of “ecofiscality, [l’]land use planning and [le] public transport. »
On this subject, Minister Charette maintains a hard line: taxing the purchase or use of polluting vehicles is not part of the government program, even if there are countless organizations that are asking for it. “Our goal is not to increase the tax burden of Quebecers. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. […] So, it is not an avenue that we are considering at this time, ”he justified himself.
On Thursday, both Québec solidaire and the Parti Québécois were concerned about the message sent by Mr. Charette’s return to the Ministry of the Environment. ” We recall […] that Mr. Charrette failed to present a GHG reduction plan to achieve Quebec’s targets,” noted solidarity co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois. “In the case of the environment with the CAQ, it cannot be limited to the expression ‘let’s continue’,” added PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, in reference to the CAQ campaign slogan.
According to the head of the Climate-Energy campaign at Greenpeace Canada, Patrick Bonin, Mr. Charette is far from having been “up to par” during the first CAQ mandate. ” [Le remplacer] would have been a good opportunity to demonstrate that drastic changes are necessary in the government’s approach, ”he argued on the other end of the line.
Two new hats
As Minister of Wildlife and Parks, Mr. Charette inherited the thorny issue of protecting woodland caribou and mountain caribou. It will also have to lead Quebec’s project to protect 30% of its territory by 2030.
Environmental groups have hailed the decision to move wildlife and parks issues into the fold of the environment ministry. “This reorganization lays the foundations for more effective government action, particularly in terms of the protection of endangered species,” said the director general of the Society for Nature and Parks of Quebec, Alain Branchaud.
“If the Government of Quebec wishes to maintain its leadership in conservation and achieve the new target of protecting 30% of ecosystems, it will have to increase the influence of the Ministry of the Environment in government decisions and align the substantial budgets”, added Mr. Branchaud.
Upon his return to Parliament, Mr. Charette should not wait very long before tabling a bill aimed at increasing water royalties. He promised to do so quickly last June. The return to parliament is scheduled for November 29.
With Alexander Shields