In Quebec, opposition mounts against a pipeline project that doesn't exist
Article content
OTTAWA — At Quebec's National Assembly and on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, pipelines have dominated the debates. The only issue? No projects involving the province are on the agenda.
Article content
'I think there is a fixation on pipelines on (Prime Minister Mark) Carney's part at the moment, not on the part of Quebecers,' said Bloc Québécois MP and former Greenpeace activist Patrick Bonin.
Article content
Article content
Article content
Since taking office in May, Bonin has mentioned the pipeline issue more than 20 times in his speeches on the floor of the House of Commons.
Article content
Article content
'We will not allow the government to build a pipeline through Quebec,' he said on Monday.
Article content
According to Bonin, the prime minister is 'rolling out the red carpet for the oil companies' by meeting with some 20 CEOs in Calgary the day before his meeting with the premiers in Saskatoon and by hoping to speed up environmental assessments.
Article content
Since the election, Carney has spoken cautiously about 'conventional energy' infrastructure and has repeatedly stated that no decisions have been made at this stage regarding the major projects he wants to see come to fruition.
Article content
But he did take a step further on Wednesday, feeding Bonin's worst fears.
Article content
'The consensus that's required includes a consensus with the Indigenous people. We will stand with Indigenous Canadians, we will build pipelines and energy infrastructure in this great country,' Carney said on the floor of the House of Commons.
Article content
Article content
In Quebec, many politicians remain on the edge of their seats.
Article content
Article content
'Any pipeline project, any kind, is bad for the environment, bad for the economy, bad for Quebec,' said Ruba Ghazal, the Quebec solidaire House leader at the National Assembly.
Article content
'If the premier doesn't want to completely shut the door on a pipeline project, can he at least ensure that environmental sovereignty is defended?' she asked.
Article content
'The leader of Québec solidaire is getting excited about something that doesn't exist,' replied Legault. 'There is currently no project that is taking place in Quebec.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
43 minutes ago
- Global News
India's Modi to attend G7 leaders' summit in Canada this month
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi says he will be attending the upcoming G7 leaders' summit in Kananaskis, Alta., later this month, thanking Prime Minister Mark Carney for his invitation. Modi has attended four G7 summits in person since 2019 and a fifth virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic. 'Glad to receive a call from Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada,' Modi said in a post on X. 'Congratulated him on his recent election victory and thanked him for the invitation to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month.' The Prime Minister's Office confirmed an invitation had been extended in a readout regarding a phone call between the two leaders, stating the pair agreed to stay in contact and looked forward to meeting at the summit. Story continues below advertisement The readout said the two also discussed the relationship between Canada and India and agreed to 'continued law enforcement dialogue and discussions addressing security concerns.' Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy But Modi's attendance comes as relations between the two countries remain tense, amid mounting foreign interference concerns and continued investigations of the 2023 killing of a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia, which former prime minister Justin Trudeau publicly said was done by 'agents of the Indian government.' 6:03 India and Pakistan ceasefire aided by 'very proactive' negotiators including U.S. In October 2024, MPs on a parliamentary committee called for an emergency meeting on allegations of Indian foreign interference in Canada after six Indian diplomats and consular officials were expelled. That expulsion was 'in relation to a targeted campaign against Canadian citizens by agents linked to the government of India.' The tensions had members of the Indian diaspora in Canada on edge, with families and students expressing concerns about travel if the conflict were to escalate to visa suspensions. Story continues below advertisement India has long denied any involvement in Nijjar's killing and accused Trudeau of pursuing a 'political agenda.' — with files from Global News and The Canadian Press
National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
As separatist talk simmers in Alberta and Quebec, Canadians say breaking up will be hard to do: poll
Against a backdrop of fresh talk of Alberta separation and the constant spectre of Quebec's sovereignty movement, a new national opinion poll found that most Canadians say breaking up will be hard to do. Article content A large majority of respondents nationally said any secession by one province would require negotiation with all provinces and must be supported by a clear majority of voters in the province, and most said separation cannot be a unilateral decision, and it should require approval by the federal House of Commons. Article content Article content Article content A national opinion survey, conducted by Leger Marketing for the Association for Canadian Studies and provided to Postmedia, was designed to probe Canadians attitudes about the process for separation, rather than their views on separation itself, and what should follow a successful provincial leave referendum. Article content Article content 'The bottom line is that Canadians across the country envision the process as much more complex than a simple majority vote on a referendum question,' said Jack Jedwab, president of the Montreal-based Association for Canadian Studies. Article content Public discussion about Alberta separating from Canada drew more mainstream attention in May, after the federal election returned the Liberal Party to government and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith tabled provincial legislation to make it easier for Albertans to trigger a referendum on the province leaving the rest of Canada. Smith said she would hold such a referendum if a citizen petition called for it. Article content Article content Separatists in Quebec hope the renewed discourse on separation will boost their long-standing desire for independent statehood, which twice went to provincial referendum which failed to support sovereignty, in 1980 and 1995. The Parti Québécois plans another provincial sovereignty referendum in the years ahead. Article content That creates plenty of secessionist talk and debate, but it has been 30 years since Canada has seen an actual separation referendum. Article content 'Many Canadians of voting age and, of course, most immigrants didn't experience the last referendum 30 years ago, but there is a growing consensus that the rest of the country would want a say in the process and secession would not be simple,' said Jedwab. Article content The poll asked 1,537 people across Canada a series of questions on the mechanism of a possible separation. Article content Article content A majority of Canadians said any referendum question regarding provincial separation from Canada must be unambiguous, with 59 per cent of respondents agreeing with that, with only 11 per cent disagreeing, and 30 per cent saying they don't know or declined to answer.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
What is a duty to consult — and how will it affect Bill 5?
The Ontario government's controversial Bill 5 was passed with no consultation with First Nations, whose treaty lands are likely to be affected. Metro Morning spoke with an Anishinaabe scholar at the University of Toronto about the difference between a duty to consult and the "free, prior and informed consent" of First Nations leaders.
