2025 Assessment: The environment is being “sacrificed” by Quebec and Ottawa

The past year marks a “worrying turning point for environmental democracy” in Quebec and Canada, according to some 15 organizations that sounded the alarm on Monday morning.

Environmental groups invited the media to the Maison du développement durable in Montreal to denounce the proliferation of legislation that weakens environmental protection.

Meanwhile, in Quebec City, Environment Minister Bernard Drainville is preparing to announce on Monday that he plans to cut environmental assessment delays in half, according to several media outlets.

In recent months in Quebec, “an unprecedented accumulation of bills undermining the rule of law has been observed, notably through the use of gag orders, omnibus bills and the expansion of the government’s discretionary power,” environmental groups denounced in a statement.

These organizations, including the Society for Nature and Parks (SNAP Québec), the Quebec Centre for Environmental Law (CQDE) and Nature Québec, cite several concerning pieces of legislation.

For example: Bill 69 on energy, Bill 97 on the forest regime, Omnibus Bill 81, Bill 93 which expropriated the municipality of Blainville of land to allow the American company Stablex to expand, Bill 7, and the recent Constitution Bill.

All these decisions taken together “reflect a strong trend of erosion of the rule of law and weakening of democratic safeguards,” according to these organizations.

The environment is also being “sacrificed” by the federal government.

The organizations gathered Monday morning in Montreal also denounced Marc Carney’s Liberal government, which “constantly pits the environment against economic development.”

The adoption of Bill C-5 and the tabling of Bill C-15 (the Budget Act), currently being debated in the Canadian Parliament, are examples of legislation that weakens environmental law.

Environmental organizations are calling on the public “to mobilize to preserve democracy, environmental protection and respect for knowledge and science, which have become integral parts of our fundamental societal values.”

Vigilance OGM, Fondation Rivières, Fondation David Suzuki, Front commun québécois pour une gestion écologique des déchets, Regroupement national des Conseils régionaux de l’environnement du Québec (RNCREQ), Eau Secours, Équiterre, Réseau québécois des groupes écologistes (RQGE), Réseau Demain le Québec, Greenpeace Canada and Mères au front, are also among the groups that met on Monday to denounce the weakening of laws that protect the environment. 

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews