Environmentalists warn against Quebec pipeline revival as politicians push for west-east link

With the threat of U.S. tariffs still looming, the Quebec government has opened the door to reconsidering a controversial pipeline project transporting natural gas from Western Canada to the province, where it would be liquefied and shipped overseas.

The LNG-Québec project, planned for the Saguenay area, north of Quebec City, was scrapped in 2021 due to the pipeline’s environmental risks — and strong public opposition.

Quebec Environment Minister Benoit Charette said this week the government would consider looking at the project again.

We’re not opposed to energy projects that respect the environmental criteria, he said.

It marked a significant shift for the Coalition Avenir Québec government, but one that shouldn’t come as a surprise, given the changed political context, said Mark Purdon, a business school professor and holder of the decarbonization chair at the Université du Québec à Montréal.

I really think it’s politics. I don’t think what is driving the renewal of LNG-Québec is the economic opportunity, Purdon told CBC News.

The fundamentals of the project haven’t changed, and neither have the environmental concerns, he said.

The proposed project included a 780-kilometre natural gas pipeline from northern Ontario to Saguenay and a terminal to liquefy the gas in Saguenay and load it onto tankers.

It faced stiff opposition due to its environmental impacts, including threats to beluga whales and broader concerns over increased greenhouse gas emissions.

Proponents of natural gas contend it is cleaner and lower in emissions than oil and coal, though its production and transportation can release methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

One recent peer-reviewed study (new window) found that due to methane leakage, the greenhouse gas footprint from exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) could equal or even exceed that of coal.

‘Not the solutions we are looking for’

Charles-Édouard Têtu, climate policy analyst at the environmental group Équiterre, said in an interview the province should prioritize clean energy projects rather than fossil fuels.

These are not the solutions we are looking for and they would not answer the needs of Canadians and Quebecers at the moment, he said.

He questioned, as well, whether the demand would be there when such a project is finally completed, given the shifting situation (new window) in Europe.

WATCH | Stalled pipeline project through Quebec reconsidered:

Previously shelved pipeline projects that pass through Quebec are getting a second look

The threat of U.S. tariffs have prompted the Quebec government to reconsider the LNG-Québec project, which was scrapped in 2021, while there’s renewed discussion federally about an oil pipeline project from Alberta to New Brunswick.

A pipeline that runs from Ontario through Quebec to Saguenay would also require approval from First Nations.

Lucien Wabanonick, chief of the Anishinaabe council of Lac Simon, said First Nations would be open to listening to proposals — but would need to be consulted.

You need to have that discussion, he said.

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The federal government has also suggested that provinces should consider more co-operation given the changes south of the border.

Jonathan Wilkinson, the federal Natural Resources Minister, said Thursday that Trump’s threatened tariffs exposed a vulnerability in energy infrastructure.

Wilkinson said some parts of Canada, namely Ontario and Quebec, are dependent on oil pipelines that move through the U.S. to meet their needs — and there has to be some hard conversations about whether that’s sustainable given what may transpire during a possible Trump trade war and beyond.

Earlier this week, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly suggested LNG-Québec in particular could play a role in getting Canada’s oil and gas to new markets overseas.

Canada has essentially one client, Joly said. For Alberta oil, 98 per cent of the oil goes to the U.S. but we don’t currently have pipelines that cross Canada to come to Quebec.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has long argued (new window) for more energy projects within Canada. He said recently that if he were prime minister, he would have approved pipelines like Northern Gateway (new window) and Energy East (new window), as well as fast-track approvals for LNG plants — giving Canada more export options.

CBC News with files from Mélissa François and Natalia Weichsel

This article is republished from RCI.