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Montreal, April 5, 2011 – The Bloc Québécois electoral platform unveiled yesterday contains many relevant measures for Equiterre’s two key issues: the fight against climate change and the future of agriculture.
Reduce Quebec’s dependency on oil
According to the Bloc, every additional litre of oil that we don’t buy reduces greenhouse gas emissions and keeps money in our economy, a position that we support. We are also impressed with the set of measures proposed to reduce dependency on oil: to promote energy efficiency, renewable energy and widespread implementation of electric cars; to stop using fuel oil in residential, industrial and commercial heating; to encourage ecoENERGY labelling on cars and carbon footprint labelling on consumer goods; to invest in public transit and to modernize the freight transportation system, particularly the railways.
“The Bloc Québécois was one of the first to carry out a serious analysis of the negative effects of our dependency on oil and to come up with a strategy. Ten years ago, hardly anybody was talking about this. Today, more and more, it’s becoming the consensus view in Quebec,” said Steven Guilbeault, cofounder and deputy executive director of Equiterre.
Fight against climate change
The Bloc Québécois also makes provisions for Canada to make adjustments after disastrous years in terms of efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with an overall reduction target of 25% below 1990 levels by 2020. We agree with the Bloc Québécois proposal for the federal government to impose absolute reduction targets for large industrial emitters and to set up a carbon exchange in Montreal.
“The Bloc Québécois is also calling for an end to subsidies and financial support for oil companies and fossil fuel industries. Equiterre supports this proposal, which has also been put forth by the other opposition parties,” said Guilbeault.
Food sovereignty
As for the future of farming, Equiterre welcomes the Bloc Québécois proposal in favour of food sovereignty, which includes encouraging federal institutions to adopt local procurement policies. We are also pleased with the proposals to introduce mandatory GMO labelling and protective zones isolating GM crops, as well as to protect supply management.
Equiterre finds the proposals concerning farmland and the production and sale of organic products too timid to provide real support for the next generation of farmers.
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Source :
Éveline Trudel-Fugère
Equiterre
514-605-2000
etfugere@equiterre.org
