“The arrival of the new administration in the United States has changed the situation a little,” says Energy Minister Christine Fréchette.
Bill 69, which aims to give Quebec free rein to double its electricity production, has not been studied during the current parliamentary session and is not planned for the last week of work.
“The arrival of the new administration in the United States has changed the situation a little,” Economy and Energy Minister Christine Fréchette told journalists in Montreal. “If there are tariffs that are imposed, this will change the nature of the competitiveness of businesses in Quebec and therefore we want to see how things will stack up before moving forward, because there is the question of pricing in the bill.”
Fréchette said “a few elements” could be changed in the bill. “But we must see to what extent the possible pricing element on Quebec exports will change the situation, or not.”
Trump’s threat to impose 25 per cent tariffs on all Canadian products has caused shock waves on this side of the border. Last week, Premier François Legault said the tariffs would also affect Quebec electricity exported to the United States.
Bill 69 aims to modify the regulation of the energy sector in order to respond to the increase in demand required to decarbonize the economy. Hydro-Québec plans to invest up to $185 billion by 2035 to double its production.
The Quebec Liberal Party denounced the bill’s delay. “We have been ready for months, but it is clear that the government is entangled in issues linked to Fitzgibbon’s ‘legacy.’ We lost an entire year moving forward in the energy future because of CAQ procrastination,” Liberal MNA Monsef Derraji said in a written statement.
“That the government wants to revise the bill in light of recent developments in the United States may not be a bad idea. But in reality, it is a bandage on a gaping wound. This bill must be withdrawn,” PQ MNA Pascal Paradis said in an interview.