Watch out for the tree!

The Legault government did well to ax Bill 61, which infringed many rights dear to Quebecers. Bill 66 is certainly better, but is not necessarily virtuous.

Of course, we want to speed up the implementation of infrastructure projects that will create jobs and contribute to the well-being of populations. Of course, we want healthy homes and CHSLDs for our seniors as much as healthy schools for our children as well as public transit. Of course, we also want to reduce bureaucracy.

All of this is possible without weakening the regulations that protect the environment. Let’s be smart!

The environment is not a luxury

The Legault government has not yet understood that the quality of the environment is the basis on which the entire economy rests. Even the IMF, the OECD and the Quebec Employers Council defend the virtues of a green recovery. They understood that there is no economy without a healthy population. Yet we are experiencing it on a large scale with COVID.

Pollution of water, air and soil, climate change and the loss of biodiversity directly affect the health and safety of populations. They have major social and economic costs.

The catch is that the bills for these bad decisions always come years later. Once again, we are passing them on to our children and grandchildren. We have the nerve to do it with a smile!

Amend Bill 66

According to Geneviève Paul, director general of the Center québécois du droit de l’environnement (CQDE), the CAQ has already relaxed the environmental requirements in order to speed up the authorization process. Prioritizing the treatment of projects targeted by the recovery should be more than sufficient to allow their rapid completion, without setting a dangerous precedent.

Environmental exemptions must be truly exceptional if we want to protect the future of our children. They do not deserve to be passed a tree.