Latest news with #GNLQuébec
Montreal Gazette
15-05-2025
- Business
- Montreal Gazette
‘Unthinkable before Trump,' Quebecers are more open now to a pipeline crossing province, Legault says
Quebec Politics By QUEBEC — Premier François Legault has opened the door further to a pipeline possibly crossing the province in the north to allow Alberta oil and gas to be sold on European markets. And Legault says he is seeking a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump to explain certain economic realities. In a sweeping 90-minute interview on Stephan Bureau's Contact podcast, Legault said that while a pipeline across northern Quebec in the past was unthinkable because of a lack of social acceptance, the trade-and-tariff war with Trump is changing people's attitudes. 'Is it possible to have a pipeline crossing northern Quebec which could have its outlet, for example, in the port of Sept-Îles,' Legault asked. 'There are projects like this which were unthinkable before Trump, but Quebecers now say 'It's not true that Trump will control the oil being produced in Alberta.' 'So can we export to Europe by passing through Quebec instead of being stuck with Trump? There's an opening here. I am sensing things are starting to shift.' In 2021, the Legault government had closed the door to the GNL Québec project, which would have crossed into the Saguenay region and carried liquefied gas to Europe. It also slammed the door on the Energy East pipeline project, which would have transported 1.1 million barrels of Alberta oil through Ontario to refineries in Quebec and New Brunswick. At the time in 2018, Legault said Quebecers are not in favour of 'dirty energy' and Quebec is able to produce clean energy at competitive prices. The government also said there was no social acceptability of the projects and they contributed nothing to the fight against climate change. During the federal election campaign, Mark Carney said he wanted to create an energy corridor in Canada to ease the movement of oil and gas, agricultural products, electricity and critical minerals. Later Thursday, speaking to reporters on a stop in Alma, Legault clarified that there are no projects actually on the table. 'We are far from a concrete project,' Legault said. 'But I think there is an openness.' He insisted his comments should not be interpreted as meaning the government wants to fast-track projects or cut corners on things like environmental-impact assessment. 'We have to look at the impacts and we have to look at the spinoffs and what is positive in each project, if a project is presented,' Legault said. But in his interview with Bureau, Legault said it's clear Quebecers will continue to consume oil products for a while even if at the same time the transition away from such products has to happen eventually. As things are, the arrival of Trump has delayed that transition process by four years, he said. Taking advantage of other markets to sell such products at a time where Trump is turning up his nose at them makes sense, he said. 'Alberta is in the same situation with its oil as we are with our electricity,' he said. 'The United States needs our energy and the United States needs Alberta's oil but does not want to admit it, slapping on taxes and threatening to not buy our products. We have to be able to sell out products elsewhere.' Legault, nevertheless, would like to meet Trump personally and has asked Quebec's staff in Washington to look into it. 'I would like to explain (to Trump) that it's not true he can get by without Quebec's electricity, aluminum and forests, that he needs us for energy, that he can do things with our critical minerals,' Legault said. 'I would like to explain to him that it would be a win for Quebec and a win for the United States that we do a deal together.' Legault and Trump had a brief encounter in December 2024 when they were attending the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. More recently, Quebec International Affairs Minister Martine Biron had a conversation with Trump when both were attending the funeral of Pope Francis in April. 'Quebec. Canada! We will make a deal with you,' Biron told reporters, quoting remarks Trump made to her. Legault's interview with Bureau ventured into other areas, including the recent decision by Standard & Poor's (S&P) to lower Quebec's credit rating. Legault said the government was aware of the risk of massively increasing spending on infrastructure — a fact that did not go unnoticed by S&P — but it was a choice that was important to Quebec. And there were more questions about Legault's personal future as premier and leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec. Legault repeated his desire to seek a third mandate as premier. 'I want to stay because it's too exciting,' Legault told Bureau, who referred to the premier using his first name. Legault said he's looking forward to working on Hydro-Québec plans to double its production, saying the plan will usher in a 'golden age for the Quebec economy.' Asked if all 85 MNAs in the CAQ caucus want him to stay given recent polling showing the CAQ has slipped into third place in voter standings, Legault said he recently tested his level of support by asking the caucus if they were still with him. 'I didn't hear one person say they are not behind me,' Legault said. 'I told them it won't be easy. It will be a big battle.' Asked if the CAQ can continue to exist without him, Legault said the CAQ is overflowing with talented politicians who could step up. 'It's like a dream team,' Legault said. Legault said if there was one thing he learned over his seven years in office, it is to be 'more humble.' 'We can make mistakes,' Legault said. 'We get better with age.' Legault will turn 68 on May 26. The next general election is in October 2026. No party has managed to obtain a third majority government in Quebec since the Union Nationale of Maurice Duplessis, who actually managed to win four in a row between 1944 and 1959.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tariff war leads officials to reconsider major proposal: 'It's a question people have to ask themselves'
U.S. President Donald Trump recently announced a 25% tariff on imports from Canada, while energy resources will be subjected to a tariff of 10%. The move, which Trump said earlier this week remains on schedule to take effect March 4, has Québec province rethinking its policies on rejected dirty energy projects. But not everyone is on board — and there's a concerning reason why. As detailed by Bloomberg, Québec has long held firm against constructing new oil and gas pipelines through the province, but Trump's pressure on Canada may change that. On Feb. 5, Québec Environment Minister Benoit Charette said federal and provincial officials could reconsider TC Energy Corp.'s Energy East pipeline and a project referred to as GNL Québec if they received amended proposals. The Energy East pipeline would transport western Canadian crude to eastern Canada refineries, while the GNL project focused on building a liquefied natural gas pipeline at an export facility in the Saguenay region. In Québec, regulatory obstacles and "intense political opposition" shut down the Energy East project in 2017, per Bloomberg. Public opposition also helped block the GNL initiative. According to Canada's National Observer, GNL Québec claimed its initiative to move fracked natural gas would be better overall, as it would release less harmful pollutants into the atmosphere compared to oil and coal projects elsewhere around the globe. However, when the public became aware of GNL Québec's aims, it rallied to shut it down. More than 120,000 Québécois slammed the move via petition, as well as three Indigenous Innu communities, 648 scientists, 40 economists, and 250 health professionals. Energy security and independence are shared goals across political lines, as achieving these objectives can lower electricity bills and boost economies, including by adding well-paying jobs. It is not uncommon to have different ideas about how to best support national development. However, some projects are more of a health risk than others, and the public pays the price. Should the government be able to control how we heat our homes? Definitely Only if it saves money I'm not sure No way Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Pipeline construction can pollute drinking water, and pipeline leaks — such as one discovered in November that released nearly 70,000 gallons of crude oil in Wisconsin — can lead to further contamination, lost recreational opportunities, and wildlife harm. Moreover, while natural gas is less deadly than oil and coal, the trio of dirty fuels are nonetheless the deadliest types of energy overall, according to Our World in Data. They also account for the bulk of the heat-trapping gases warming Earth at an unnatural rate — in other words, far beyond what would normally happen without human activity — and driving more intense extreme weather such as hurricanes and wildfires. Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly told a business audience in Montréal that Québécois must evaluate how they feel about the rebirth of pipeline projects and be prepared to use their voices if they believe Canada should take a different path. Renewables such as wind and solar, for example, are the safest form of energy, and generating power from them doesn't release troublesome heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere. "It's a question people have to ask themselves here," Joly, who is from Québec, said, per Bloomberg. "At the same time … we have to reduce our CO2 emissions. I'm very, very interested to know: Does what's happened in the last few days change the game?" Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Quebec open to rekindled GNL Québec gas facility project amid U.S. tariff threats
QUÉBEC — The Quebec government says it would be open to reviving a liquefied natural gas project in the Saguenay region to transport Alberta energy overseas, as a way to reduce the country's reliance on the United States as an export market. Quebec refused to authorize GNL Québec Inc.'s proposed liquefaction facility and export terminal in 2021 and Ottawa followed suit in 2022, with both governments citing environmental and other concerns. However, U.S. President Donald Trump's threats to impose tariffs on Canadian energy have increased the urgency for Canadian oil and gas producers to seek export markets beyond south of the border. Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Quebec Environment Minister Benoit Charette signalled a willingness to entertain proposals from GNL Québec. "We're not closed to energy projects that respect environmental criteria," he said, later adding he would "study (the project) on its merits." In the government's 2021 refusal, Charette said the proposed facility and export terminal risked 'disadvantaging the energy transition' away from fossil fuels. The project, he added, was economically 'risky' and posed 'more disadvantages than advantages.' The following year, Charette said the province "made the decision (to say no) ... and we have no intention of reconsidering it. It's no longer a project (under consideration) in Quebec and we're pretty firm on that.' Christine Fréchette, the province's economy and energy minister, said Wednesday that the project would need to be accepted by the population to go forward, a green light that didn't exist a few years ago. 'We need social acceptability for a project like GNL Québec,' she said. In February 2022, the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada concluded that the plant and export terminal would increase greenhouse gas emissions, harm the beluga population, and negatively impact Innu First Nations. And while members of the governing Coalition Avenir Québec party showed openness to the project on Wednesday, later in the day its members voted down an attempt by two Independent members to adopt a motion in the legislature asking the government to "re-evaluate its positions on transporting Canadian energy resources.' Youri Chassin and Éric Lefebvre, both former CAQ members turned Independents, failed to get enough votes to have their motion adopted. Conservative Leader Éric Duhaime, who doesn't have a seat in the legislature, told reporters Wednesday he welcomed the end of the unanimity of elected officials against GNL Québec. Amid the tariff threats by Trump, Duhaime said, Québec must have greater energy autonomy. "And that involves three things: exploiting our natural gas in Quebec, building pipelines across the province, and reviving the GNL Quebec project." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2025. Patrice Bergeron and Thomas Laberge, The Canadian Press Sign in to access your portfolio
