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Ongoing

Vire au vert

The federal parties must commit to respecting Quebec’s environmental values.

What's at stake?

For decades now, Quebec has set itself apart by integrating strong environmental principles into its economic and social development.

Our province has made ambitious choices for the environment. We have passed laws, adopted plans, held major societal debates, fought battles, built collective infrastructure and carried out major projects to put us on track to a viable future. This work has created a solid foundation on which we must continue to build and - above all - on which we will not go backwards.

That's why we're calling on the federal political parties to commit to the Quebec Consensus on the Environment in the lead up to the next election.

Let's ask the parties to commit to respecting our values and our environmental achievements.

Read the full document here

In short, this is the Quebec Environmental Consensus:

We are proud to be a major producer of renewable energy, and we are convinced that renewable energy is the way of the future.

To affirm this, Quebec has banned the production of fossil fuels within its territory and is a member of the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA).

We consider climate change to be a priority issue, and we’re committed to taking action to reduce our province's GHG emissions.

To achieve this, Quebec adheres to the Paris Agreement, has set targets to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and has implemented a carbon market to put a price on pollution.

We want to reduce garbage and waste in our province.

To achieve this, Quebec has passed a law against programmed obsolescence, to force producers to make goods that are more durable and repairable. Several Quebec cities have banned disposable plastic products to reduce waste.

We want our transportation to be less polluting, and to have access to more efficient and affordable mobility options.

To achieve this, Quebec has passed a law to stop selling gas-powered vehicles as of 2035, has adopted its ZEV standard to encourage the transition to electric vehicles, and has chosen to build new public transportation infrastructure, such as Quebec City's tramway.

We want to live in healthy living environments, where we have access to local services and can enjoy nature.

To achieve this, Quebec has adopted an architecture and land use planning policy (PNAAT) that seeks to concentrate urban growth near existing services and infrastructure, in order to limit urban sprawl to protect natural environments.

Our farmlands are precious and crucial to our food resilience. We want to protect them and keep them healthy.

To achieve this, Quebec has adopted a sustainable agriculture plan (PAD), which calls for agri-environmental practices, the reduced use of nitrogen fertilizers and measures to protect soil health. The PNAAT also aims to protect our farmland by limiting urban sprawl.

We love our land and want to take care of our natural environments and biodiversity.

To achieve this, we have pledged to protect 30% of our territory by 2030, we have signed on to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework to reverse the loss of biodiversity, and several cities have banned the use of pesticides on their territory).

Our water, our lakes, our rivers, our wetlands, are precious collective resources that we want to protect from pollution and destruction.

To achieve this, we have passed a law to guarantee “no net loss” of wetlands and waterways.

Our work

Since 2018, the Vire au vert citizen mobilization initiative has been bringing environmental issues to the forefront during Quebec election campaigns. Powered by environmental organizations and citizens, it seeks to encourage political parties and candidates to make ambitious commitments with regards to the environment.

24 of Quebec’s most influential environmental and citizen groups have developed Vire au Vert’s 48 environmental recommendations, which we encourage the political parties to include in their electoral programs, and to discuss during the upcoming election campaign.

Alongside our allies, Équiterre provides the tools and mobilizes citizens to pressure our governments to do just that.

73%

of Quebecers are worried about climate impacts on their health and on public health, on their personal finances and on public finances.

Source: Sondage Léger, May 2022.

Project history

2022

Provincial elections

More than 17,000 Quebecers called for a leaders' debate exclusively on the environment!

Thanks to the efforts of Équiterre and the Vire au vert initiative, the environment has taken on an unprecedented role in the election campaign:

  • 3 chefs committed to putting the environment at the heart of all their decisions at our “green carpet” event

  • The environmental theme opened each of the Radio-Canada and TVA debates, and garnered significant airtime: 18 minutes at TVA and 22 minutes at Radio-Canada, compared to zero and 16 minutes respectively four years earlier.

  • 125 candidates presented their vision of the climate and biodiversity crises to voters during the Vire au vert interviews and debates.

2021

November

On November 7, 2021, a breath of fresh air blew through Quebec! Many new mayors and city councilors who had made commitments to the environment were elected across the province. The environment, women and youth were the big winners in this municipal election. Talking about the environment is clearly no longer a risk: it's a win.

The environmental movement is reaching our city halls. And it's thanks to the thousands of citizens who mobilized and voted with the environment in mind and to the work of environmental organizations like Vire au vert! Municipalities play a crucial role in the implementation of the ecological transition.

2018

September

In 2018, Vire au vert helped put the environment at the heart of the provincial election campaign in Quebec.

Our ultimate goal: that political parties make ambitious commitments with regards to the environment. We identified 23 environmental priorities that we wanted to see included in the electoral platforms of each of the political parties in Quebec. We also mobilized, equipped and supported citizens to express their environmental concerns to political parties and their candidates, their entourage and the public.

Reference documents

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