Quebeckers Say No! to "Greening" Transition

Demonstration outside Quebec National Assembly September 12 against sections of Bill 69 that open the door to further privatization of Hydro-Québec.

"Super Minister" Pierre Fitzgibbon left the Quebec government after sponsoring the tabling of Bill 69, An Act to ensure the responsible governance of energy resources and to amend various legislative provisions, on June 6, 2024. Presentations for specific consultations on the bill were held from September 10 to 16, led by Christine Fréchette, former Minister of Immigration appointed to replace Fitzgibbon as Quebec's new Minister of the Economy, Innovation and Energy.[1]

As soon as it was tabled, Bill 69 provoked numerous responses and objections, as it would open the door to further privatization of Hydro-Québec's assets, give private companies a guaranteed rate for the electricity they produce, and introduce variable rates for residential power as of April 2026.[2]

Following Minister Fitzgibbon's resignation, more than twenty environmental, labour and community organizations published a joint letter calling for work on Bill 69 to be suspended because its "orientations were neither presented to the public in the party's electoral platform nor debated, but rather determined by a small number of people, including Minister Fitzgibbon himself, behind closed doors."[3] The Quebec Federation of Labour (FTQ) agreed: "We need to offer Quebeckers a 21st-century vision of energy development. Bill 69 jeopardizes the survival of Quebec's social safety net, and we cannot endorse this approach. Collectively, we have a duty to leave future generations a coherent and sustainable energy policy."

Notes

1. Christine Fréchette's immigration portfolio has been handed over to Jean-Fran ois Roberge, who already holds a number of ministerial posts, including Francization and Integration, responsible for French Language, Canadian Relations and Francophonie, Democratic Institutions, Access to Information and Protection of personal Information and Laicity (secularism). With all these overlapping ministries under his responsibility, political analysts have rightly or wrongly dubbed Jean-Fran ois Roberge the new "Minister of Identity."

2. See "Sharp and Immediate Opposition from Trade Union Organizations to Further Privatization of Hydro Québec," Geneviève Royer, TML Monthly, July 2024.

3. "Fitzgibbon's departure: suspension of work on Bill 69 requested," open letter, September 4, 2024.

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This article was published in

Volume 54 Numbers 8-9 - September 2024

Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2024/Articles/MS54084.HTM

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