Organizations unite to denounce four Legault government projects

Citizen organizations opposed to four different Legault government projects are uniting in the hope of making their voices heard more clearly. 

The Mothers at the Front of Montreal, the South Shore, the Lower Laurentians and Saguenay, as well as the Citizen Watch group Port de Contrecœur, held a sit-in on Sunday in front of the office of the premier of Quebec François Legault in Montreal. 

This joint demonstration was organized to denounce “the expansion of the toxic Stablex site, the expansion of the Port of Contrecœur, the destruction of natural environments by the Northvolt factory and Bill 97 which defines a new forestry regime.”

According to the instigators of the event, which took place on the occasion of the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies, these projects have in common “the unprecedented destruction of biodiversity.” 

They denounce “the government’s cavalier approach.” “It’s divide and conquer. Conducting project-by-project assessments across Quebec helps dissipate the mass effect it can have on the environment. What we want to demonstrate is that we are not disconnected citizen groups across Quebec. We are all together for the protection of our environment and our heritage, from which all Quebecers can benefit,” says Rebecca Pétrin, director of Eau Secours and representative of the coalition of organizations against Stablex. 

Pétrin emphasizes that “the accumulation of projects being developed throughout Quebec shows us that water protection, environmental protection and the protection of natural environments are not favored over economic development.” “It’s when we put all the pieces of this puzzle together that we realize the magnitude of this,” she adds.

Her point of view is shared by Hélène Reeves, spokesperson for Vigie citoyenne Port de Contrecœur. “It’s a vision of the economy that doesn’t take into account the current climate crisis. It’s a vision of the economy where we raze the forest, destroy wetlands, and destroy species habitats. All of this also affects the quality of life of citizens. It affects air quality, water quality, so there are a lot of common points.”

Like Rebecca Pétrin and Hélène Reeves, Annie Marie-Marie Chapleau, spokesperson for the Forêt/Caribou committee of Mères au Front for Bill 97, is concerned about the long-term effects of these projects. 

She believes that “we are living far beyond our means” and that “we are encroaching on our biological capital and the life capital of future generations.” “I am a mother and a grandmother, but whether we are by heart or by blood, we have this concern that there may still be a habitable and viable world for those who will follow us. Conditions are being put in place almost everywhere to ensure that this is not the case, which worries us greatly,” she laments. 

Chapleau, however, is not giving up. She believes that networking between different organizations can help change the government’s mind. 

“It’s my source of hope to see people of all ages mobilizing. If we sit at home crying or bury our heads in the sand, nothing will happen. We have to come together, we have to unite, we have to work on the issues. There are several ways to do it that are complementary, and I think that can make a difference.”

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews