In Quebec, opposition mounts against a pipeline project that doesn't exist

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. “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. 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. “We will not allow the government to build a pipeline through Quebec,” he said on Monday. 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. 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. But he did take a step further on Wednesday, feeding Bonin’s worst fears. “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. In Quebec, many politicians remain on the edge of their seats. “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. “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. Quebec Premier François Legault seemed baffled by the question the day after Alberta Premier Danielle Smith appeared resigned about the prospect of a pipeline through Quebec, saying she would have more success with a corridor between Hudson Bay and Prince Rupert. “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.” But what worries many Quebec MPs, particularly from the Bloc Québécois, is that the prime minister is using pipeline expansion as a solution to U.S. President Donald Trump’s attacks on Canada. “For us, it’s worrying because the government is currently focusing on the idea of developing more oil and gas, putting in pipelines when it should be focusing on making the energy transition and that’s the priority,” said Bonin in an interview. Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault, who is also Carney’s Quebec lieutenant, said his boss insisted that for such a project to go ahead, “there would have to be social acceptability.” Just like Guilbeault, Quebec Liberal MPs are also cautious about pipelines in their province. “I can’t wait to see the appendix, the list of all the (major infrastructure) projects. I’m excited because we really need to build a strong economy”, said Pontiac MP Sophie Chatel. Does it take a pipeline? “We’ll see,” she told National Post while her Gatineau colleague and government House leader Steven MacKinnon said the country “must seize the moment.” “We have major national projects, people are impatient for there to be a clear process to begin this work and see it through to completion, and so I am very, very confident that it will garner quite substantial support from Canadians,” he said, without pointing out specifically to pipelines. MacKinnon said he would like to see the government’s bill to speed up construction of major national projects passed by the end of June. Meanwhile, Conservative MPs are openly advocating for a pipeline crossing the province. Quebec City MP Gérard Deltell pointed out in the House of Commons that a growing number of Quebecers support pipeline construction. “We have had pipelines in Quebec since 1942. In 2012, a pipeline was built between Lévis and Montreal that crosses 26 waterways, including the St. Lawrence River. It is so good and works so well that no one knows about it, and no one talks about it,” he said. National Post atrepanier@postmedia.com

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