(New York) On Tuesday in New York, under the delighted gaze of François Legault, Al Gore called the Quebec prime minister one of the “heroes” in the fight against global warming.
Published at 1:02 am. Updated at 5:00 am.
Excited by his well-known passion for this fight in which he is one of the pioneers, the former American vice president gave his words of praise at the start of a meeting of the Beyond Oil and Gas coalition (BOGA) in the United States from the offices of the General Delegation of Quebec in New York.
The narrator of “An Inconvenient Truth” spoke prophetically and with the accent of a Tennessee pastor about the consequences of achieving carbon neutrality.
“If we maintain net-zero emissions, half of the greenhouse gases produced by humans will have disappeared from the atmosphere within the next 25 or 30 years,” he told participants at the meeting. “The long, slow healing process can begin, and future generations will remember this Beyond Gas and Oil alliance and say, ‘You helped achieve the goal.’ They were heroes. Their eyes were wide open, their hearts were wide open, their consciences were preoccupied. And they took the necessary measures.” »
Quebec joined BOGA, an initiative of Denmark and Costa Rica, in November 2021. In April 2022, it became the first state in North America to abandon hydrocarbons, a precedent fondly remembered by François Legault after Al Gore’s praise. And on Tuesday, he hosted a roundtable attended by about fifteen representatives from governments or BOGA-affiliated groups.
Call
Quebec obviously has a good reputation abroad for fighting global warming, even if its efforts are seen as inadequate by Quebec environmental groups.
“We need heroes to drive the world’s energy transition,” commented Leïla Cantave, Quebec manager for Climate Action Network Canada, which is participating in New York Climate Week. “It is a process that requires collaboration. Does Quebec now play this role? Not yet. »
Quebec must at least pay its fair share and increase its greenhouse gas emissions reduction target to 65% by 2030. We also need Quebec to do more diplomatic work and encourage other Canadian provinces to join BOGA.
Leïla Cantave, responsible for Quebec for the Canada Climate Action Network
In the presence of Al Gore and other BOGA Roundtable participants, including representatives from Brazil, South Africa, the United Kingdom and British Columbia, François Legault extended the baton to the other Canadian provinces and invited them to join BOGA.
But when he talked about greenhouse gas emissions, he simply said that Quebec has the lowest rate of greenhouse gas emissions per capita in North America.
After the BOGA roundtable, François Legault spoke privately with one of his participants, Democratic Governor of Washington State Jay Inslee, who was praised by Al Gore for inspiring Joe Biden’s important energy transition initiatives.
“We are truly leaders”
François Legault will receive another flower this Wednesday in New York. He will attend the first summit on climate ambition organized by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. The Quebec Prime Minister’s entourage considers this invitation a great honor, even though the Prime Minister will not have the opportunity to speak during the event.
What does he say to those who criticize him and are not convinced that he deserves this honor?
“I’m happy,” he said during a press call Tuesday morning in Astoria, Queens. “I think there are only nine countries [ou États fédérés] who were invited. » After repeating data on per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Quebec, he added: “We have the most ambitious plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. So I think we’re really leading the way in North America. »
In response to a question from a journalist, François Legault clarified that nuclear energy is not “at the moment” part of his plan to meet Quebec’s future energy needs.
“We haven’t looked for all the available electricity we could find,” he said after discussing negotiations with Newfoundland and Labrador over Churchill Falls, building a new dam on Gull Island and energy efficiency, among other issues.
Quebec-New York Agreement
François Legault traveled to Astoria to attend the inauguration of the construction of the Hudson Power Express transmission line converter station in Champlain in the presence of several key stakeholders, including New York State Governor Kathy Hochul.
As a result of an agreement signed in November 2021 between Hydro-Québec and its New York partner, the line will allow Quebec to export 10.4 terawatt hours to the American metropolis for 25 years, enough to generate the equivalent of 20% of New York’s electricity City needs and contribute 28% to New York City’s greenhouse gas reduction goal by 2030.
François Legault estimates the impact of this bi-directional line at $30 billion, which will also allow Quebec to import excess electricity from New York wind turbines at low prices.
“This is one of my greatest achievements,” said the Prime Minister, referring to this project, whose first year of operation is scheduled for 2026.
Chief Picard condemns Quebec’s behavior at the United Nations
The head of the Quebec-Labrador Assembly of First Nations (APNQL) took advantage of the prime minister’s visit to the United Nations to report to the United Nations secretary-general that the Legault government was doing poorly in relations with First Nations. In a letter addressed to António Guterres, leader Ghislain Picard emphasizes that Quebec “systematically refuses to implement this” despite a request to do so in 2019. [la Déclaration des Nations unies sur les droits des peuples autochtones] » under the pretext that it “amounts to a veto right” for First Nations. Chief Picard also points to Quebec’s “systematic objection” to federal laws that “recognize that relations with indigenous peoples must be based on the recognition and implementation of the inherent right to self-determination.” In particular, Quebec disputes the constitutionality of Bill C-92, which grants First Nations full autonomy in matters of child protection services. The AFNQL sees this as a “twisted interference” by Quebec in its areas of responsibility.
Fanny Levesque, La Presse