The consequences of climate change in Quebec “are being felt more and more strongly,” Ruba Ghazal says.
Québec solidaire is calling on the Quebec government to sue the major oil companies for the damage caused by climate change.
Québec solidaire argues that Shell, Suncor, Valero and Exxon, which sell oil in Quebec, have misled the public by downplaying the climate risks posed by fossil fuels and must therefore pay for the damage.
“The oil companies alone are responsible for a third, if not half, of the world’s greenhouse gases. They must pay for the damage they have caused. It’s a question of justice,” Ghazal added at a media briefing.
“All political parties say they want to protect Quebec from climate change, but none have the courage to do what is necessary: make those responsible for the climate crisis pay,” said Alejandra Zaga Mendez, the Québec solidaire member responsible for the environment.
Lies and misinformation
Dozens of U.S. municipalities, as well as eight states and Washington, D.C., have sued oil and gas companies in recent years for their role in climate change, according to data from the Center for Climate Integrity.
These actions are still before the courts, including a lawsuit filed by California a year ago against some of the world’s largest oil and gas companies, claiming they misled the public about the risks of fossil fuels.
A study by the journal Science, published in 2023, shows that Exxon Mobil, owner of the Esso brand, long hid from the public that it knew of the causal link between oil production and the climate crisis.
For decades, the oil giant publicly questioned the reality of global warming and denied the accuracy of scientists’ climate models. Yet various investigations, including one published in Science, show that as early as the 1980s, Exxon had the internal scientific work to accurately predict climate change.
“Exxon is known internationally, they have had hidden information since the ’70s,” but “we want the government to prosecute the various companies, not just for hiding information,” but for “the harm, the impacts from climate change,” which is what “California, Massachusetts and Rhode Island are doing,” Zaga Mendez said.
“Adapting to climate change is going to cost so much money. Where are we going to find the money? From the pockets of Quebecers or those of the companies that lied and are responsible for the effects of climate change?”
The example of tobacco
Asked about the responsibility of citizens who choose to use fossil fuels to travel, Ghazal drew a parallel with the tobacco industry.
“The government hasn’t decided to go after all smokers because smoking isn’t good for their health and it costs money. We have decided in Quebec, collectively, that we have a health system for everyone, regardless of what people have done in their lives,” and “the people responsible (for the climate crisis) are not the people who sometimes have no choice but to use their car or their truck, it is the companies that put these products on the market and then lied about it,” Ghazal said.
“In the case of tobacco, this was not an argument that was accepted, or at least not sufficiently so to exonerate them, so we have an important parallel,” added Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, the Québec solidaire MNA responsible for justice.
Québec solidaire is calling on the Quebec government to take inspiration from the recent defeat of cigarette manufacturers in court to bring the oil companies into line.
After fighting tooth and nail for 25 years in court, Canada’s tobacco giants will finally have to pay out $32.5 billion to Canadian smoking victims and the provinces for the health costs caused by their products, an Ontario judge ruled last month.
“Like the oil companies, the tobacco industry knew that cigarettes were harmful to health, but hid this fact from the public. So, tobacco companies will have to pay Quebec $6 billion. What are we waiting for to do the same thing with the big polluters,” Cliche-Rivard asked.