Departure of Sophie Brochu: QS calls for emergency parliamentary committee

Quebec Solidaire is calling for an emergency parliamentary committee to hear Sophie Brochut before the end of her term on her vision of the role Hydro-Québec should play. The government replied that a committee was already in place, and that it was up to them to decide whom to invite.

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The Legault government last March endorsed a proposal to hold such a session, Gabriel Nadeau Dubois said in a press release Friday morning. Quebec spokesman Solidere confirms that his party has asked the government to study the Hydro-Québec Strategic Plan three times, to no avail.

“There is something fishy. Why does Mrs. Brochu refuse to come and present the vision contained in her strategic plan? Is it in order to avoid the displeasure of Pierre Fitzgibbon? All this lacks transparency,” objected the representative-elect.

Mr Nadeau Dubois says he fears that Pierre Fitzgibbon’s personal goals will take precedence over the government’s energy transition goals. He wants a “real transparent debate” about Hydro-Québec’s role, which according to him should be “decarbonising Quebec and ensuring affordable electricity for Quebecers,” not “selling Quebec electricity at a discount to attract multinationals.”

Sophie Brochud announced Tuesday that she will leave the presidency of the Société d’Etat on April 11. In the past, the senior chairman of Hydro-Québec expressed reservations when François Legault was preparing to entrust Pierre Fitzgibbon with the economy and energy portfolio.

• Listen to the column written by Gilles Proulx, columnist for the Journal de Montreal at Journal de Québec at Richard Martineau’s microphone at QUB Radio :

We had to avoid Quebec becoming a “dollar store” for electricity, she said, with the aim of attracting foreign companies. On Wednesday, Prime Minister François Legault reaffirmed his desire to increase production capacity from Hydro-Québec, in order to attract new customers for Crown and generate new revenue for the government.

However, a parliamentary committee is already tasked with examining the Quebec Hydropower Strategic Plan 2022-2026, and has defended the government. Hydro-Québec in Parliamentary Committee. It is now in the hands of the committee.

The QS must know after all this time how Parliament works: It is up to the MPs on the Parliamentary Committee to decide what mandate they want to give themselves and who they want to invite to come and testify,” the Prime Minister’s Cabinet noted in a written statement. Since the government has a majority Is he not entitled to invite Mrs. Brochu to come and give her point of view? “It will be the decision of the Commission!” we were told.