(Montreal) The Parti Québécois proposes to temporarily limit the cost at the pump to $1.60 per litre, and that the price difference be borne by oil producers. This measure, however, would have the effect of continuing the dependence of Quebecers on oil, according to an expert.
Posted at 12:58 p.m.
Faced with the rise in the price of gas, which recently crossed the $2 per liter mark, PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon protested that the oil companies were reaping record profits, speaking of “robbery”.
PHOTO ERICK LABBE, LE SOLEIL ARCHIVES
PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon
“It is neither normal nor acceptable that 85% of the increase in the price at the pump go directly into the pockets of the oil companies and their refineries. Experts expect a liter of gasoline to exceed $2.20 shortly. There comes a time when you can no longer sit idly by, it takes a contingency plan,” he said in a statement on Sunday.
Professor at HEC and holder of the Chair in Energy Sector Management, Pierre-Olivier Pineau, fears that the PQ’s proposal will have the long-term effect of less encouraging consumers to quickly get out of oil.
In an interview, the PQ leader clarified that this measure could apply for six months or a year in order to relieve the finances of several families in the short term.
At the same time, he wants an increase in sales quotas for zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) to force manufacturers to increase supply.