More than 80 activists and citizen groups are calling on Quebec politicians, both federal and provincial, to take a strong stance against new oil and gas pipelines in the province.
Talk of an east-west pipeline was revived during the federal election — and earlier this month, Quebec Premier François Legault said he is open to pipeline projects.
The open letter called out the Coalition Avenir Québec in the National Assembly for voting against a motion demanding that the government oppose any pipeline project in Quebec.
The letter was published May 26, the same day Parliament kicks off and federal MPs gather at the House of Commons in Ottawa.
It made specific appeals to federal politicians, including former environment and climate change minister Steven Guilbeault.
The letter said it falls to Guilbeault to convince Prime Minister Mark Carney and his cabinet “not to give in to Alberta's blackmail by ignoring Quebec's choices.”
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet was commended for being the only leader of a major federal party to have categorically opposed pipeline projects.
The letter’s signatories urged Blanchet to “make this commitment a top priority and a condition” of his support for Carney's minority government, which will have to rely on opposition parties to get things done in the House of Commons.
Of seven federal NDP members, only one is in Quebec. The federal NDP often avoided questions about its stance on pipelines, and the open letter called on NDP Alexandre Boulerice to “demand greater rigour” from his party.
The letter, published in full in Le Devoir, is supported by 216 individuals, activists and grassroots and citizen organizations. It was written by Katherine Massam at Regroupement vigilance énergie Québec. Eighty-four signatories were directly involved in past fights agaisnt fossil fuel projects in Quebec.
Quebec has a long history of citizens resisting oil and gas development. In 2022, the province banned new oil and gas exploration, marking a major victory for citizen groups and the climate movement.
In a speech to Calgary’s business community on Friday, federal Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson did not specifically mention an east-west pipeline, but did say “eastern Canada needs better supply security,” and expressed a need for “infrastructure that gets our energy to tidewater” in order to trade with countries other than the US. Hodgson also referenced the need for an integrated east-west electrical transmission grid.
Natasha Bulowski / Local Journalism Initiative / Canada’s National Observer
Comments
Their impact will depend on the ability to fill public squares with the like-minded; or their ability to fundraise for billboards. I'm not really clear on where most of the public is with this issue right now.
With all the talk of bitumen pipelines to the Atlantic I'd appreciate more research presented by the National Observer on issues specific to dilbit pipelines. The general public, thanks largely to the good work of Fossil Fool organizations like Pathways Alliance, has little specific knowledge of how tarsands oil differs from sweet light crude......or why dilbit (bitumen diluted with light hydrocarbons so it will flow) is so hard on pipes.
What's more, I doubt most Canadians understand that unless we build our own upgraders...preferably in oil soaked Alberta......it's likely that whatever 'tidewater' our tar ends up at.........it's heading to Koch refineries to be upgraded and then refined into useable fossil fuel.
I can't imagine a dumber idea for 'energy security' that trucking heavy oil across this great and immense land..........to end up in the same predicament. An unconventional oil dependent on American refining and thus essentially captured, won't free us from dependence on the rapidly collapsing empire south of us.
So please: Some more detail on who it is, other than the Koch cabal......who's lining up to buy our raw tar??? If possible, include the names of the outfits lining up to clean up any spills or leaks these massive pipes might encounter....evidence from the Kalamazoo spill in Michigan should help us understand the real costs of such cleanups....they won't be trivial.
Québec may once again save us from a wrong choice of path. I hope so.