2024-02-08 18:40:49
(Québec) François Legault s’inquiète des contestations contre certains grands chantiers industriels pour développer l’économie verte au Québec. « Il faut changer d’attitude », plaide-t-il, quelques jours après la tenue d’une manifestation pour exiger que le projet de méga-usine de Northvolt soit soumis à un examen du Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement (BAPE).
Dans un point de presse à Québec, le premier ministre a affirmé que des dirigeants d’entreprise ne comprennent pas ce qui se passe au Québec. Dimanche, plus de 200 citoyens ont manifesté à McMasterville, sur la Rive-Sud, affirmant que trop de questions restent en suspens face au projet d’usine à batterie dans lequel l’aide publique pourrait dépasser 7 milliards.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, LA PRESSE
Des citoyens ont manifesté à McMasterville, sur la Rive-Sud, affirmant que trop de questions restent en suspens face au projet d’usine à batterie dans lequel l’aide publique pourrait dépasser 7 milliards.
« C’est inquiétant. Si on veut être capables de relever les grands défis, d’éliminer les GES, d’investir plus en santé et en éducation pour donner de meilleurs services, de continuer à remettre de l’argent dans le portefeuille des Québécois, il va falloir être capables d’accepter ces grands projets », a dit M. Legault.
Quand je regarde certaines personnes critiquer sans nuance les projets de développement économique au Québec, ça me rend triste. Je me dis [qu’avec] With this kind of attitude, we would not be able to create the James Bay that previous governments created.
François Legault, Premier of Quebec
Request for injunction rejected
Last month, the Superior Court of Quebec rejected the request for a provisional injunction from the Quebec Environmental Law Center (CQDE) which aimed to force the company to suspend its work which encroaches on wetlands. In interview with The Pressthe president and CEO of Northvolt in North America, Paolo Cerruti, said he was surprised to have been, according to him, unfairly attacked on the company’s fundamental values.
“This is the first time that we have been attacked in this way on our environmental commitment. Our mission is to accelerate the exit from a society dependent on fossil fuels by wanting to manufacture the greenest battery in the world,” he declared.
Read the column “Wetlands on the Northvolt field: “The reaction took us by surprise””
For Premier Legault, this type of industrial project is essential for Quebec, in the context where the province wants to eliminate its GHGs by 2050 and wants to reinvest massively in health and education, without having to increase taxes.
“If we want to be able in Quebec to both fight climate change and invest in health and education without increasing taxes, there is just one way to do that and that is to create wealth. It is not an end in itself, but it gives us the means to respond to these three challenges,” said Mr. Legault.
“We have to find ways to save electricity, whether it’s in public transport, whether it’s energy efficiency, we have to try to consume less electricity. We need to build wind power. But we won’t get out of this. It will take more dams and it will take green economy factories, like Northvolt. Like GM. Like Ford. Like other projects that we currently have on the table,” he added.
An earlier version of this text included an inaccuracy regarding the number of protesters in McMasterville.
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