Montreal, February 17, 2021 - Équiterre has submitted a number of recommendations to the Quebec government in the lead-up to its 2021 budget. Three of which are particularly important.
1. More efficient greenhouses FOR FOOD PRODUCTION
Having welcomed recent measures to increase food production in greenhouses in Quebec, Équiterre is recommending that the government better structure its strategy to ensure that the food that will be grown in these greenhouse does not require too much energy, that it is diversified and that it effectively responds to the objective of improving food security for the Quebec population.
“The government should base its selection criteria on the nutritional yield and energy performance of each type of crop. We want a wide variety of delicious fruits and vegetables, produced using as little electricity as possible,” explains Marc-André Viau, Équiterre’s Director of Government Relations.
2. Electric vehicles: driving green(er) more equitably
Équiterre is calling on the government to update the Roulez vert program to make it self-funding and more equitable. We are also calling for the program to be expanded in order to offer incentives for purchasing electric bicycles.
“Low-income households could be offered a larger incentive to opt for an electric car. A maximum annual income threshold could also be established for the program, beyond which a household would be ineligible for the electric vehicle subsidy, as is the case in California. It is entirely feasible for more people to receive the subsidy without having to increase the program’s budget. It’s just a question of revising the funding formula and the terms,” says Marc-André Viau.
3. A new task for the Finance Minister:the cost of climate crisis
Équiterre recommends that the Minister of Finance prepare an annual progress report on the province’s efforts to achieve its climate objectives for 2050, clearly and transparently costing out all climate change related expenditures. Similar measures have been implemented in Ireland and France.
“The government has a plan for a green, carbon-neutral economy by 2050. We want to know how we will achieve this from a financial standpoint and we want to track the progress,” explains Marc-André Viau.
To read about all our recommendations (in French), click here.
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For more information:
Anthony Côté Leduc, Media Relations
514-605-2000
acoteleduc@equiterre.org
