The important role played by Équiterre’s government relations team

Whether in a pandemic context or not, our government relations team is constantly working to defend what is dear to you, to promote Équiterre’s mission and to push our elected officials to take action.

Here, Marc-André Viau, our Director of Government Relations, gives us an overview of some of his team’s many accomplishments over the past few months, many of which in response to the unprecedented health crisis. His dynamic team is responsible for representing Équiterre’s and its supporters’ interests before three levels of government.

Here is a “small” list of Équiterre’s government relations work over the past few months, followed by Marc-André’s video!

• Submitted a brief to a parliamentary commission at the National Assembly to prevent the government from weakening environmental regulations to rebuild the economy
• Commented on the federal government's recovery aid to the oil and gas sector to the Federal Finance Committee
• Proposed principles for just recovery post-pandemic with our partners across Canada
• Presented a brief on the Quebec bill on climate governance in a parliamentary committee
• Presented our budget demands to the Minister of Finance
• Analyzed and commented the Quebec 2020 budget
• Proposed budget recommendations to the federal finance committee
• Sent updated budget recommendations to the federal government
• Participated in the creation of a new Quebec coalition, the G15+, which seeks to ensure that after the pandemic, Quebec is not rebuilt exactly as it was before
• Criticized the weakening of U.S. vehicle emission regulations, which directly impact Canadian emissions
• Developed a solution and proposed the implementation of a bonus-malus system for gas-powered and electric vehicles
• Met and exchanged with staff from the Prime Minister's Office, the federal Minister of Agriculture, Environment, Finance and Heritage
• Developed a research project on soil health with Quebec partners
• Presented a report on foreign ownership of the oil sands to the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology
• Conducted a technical briefing for journalists on a report on climate accountability legislation, which had been presented to the federal government
• Commented on the new draft regulation on the application of the Quebec Environment Quality Act

And more!