(Québec) François Legault veut remettre les pendules à l’heure. Après des jours à lire et à encaisser des critiques face à sa stratégie énergétique, il trouve « injustes » les commentaires qui laissent entendre que son gouvernement travaille à donner de l’électricité au rabais à des entreprises énergivores.
Dans un point de presse en marge du conseil des ministres à Québec, M. Legault a détaillé les conditions que rempliront les entreprises qui obtiendront un « rabais » sur l’électricité qui leur est fourni par Hydro-Québec.
« Jamais on ne va donner un rabais sur le prix de l’électricité sans s’assurer que les revenus additionnels pour le gouvernement du Québec soient supérieurs à ce rabais-là », a promis le premier ministre.
Pour illustrer son propos, M. Legault a cité la filière batterie dans la municipalité de Bécancour, dans le Centre-du-Québec. Cette industrie représente des emplois « qui vont être [payés] At the rate of $100,000 a year.”
“Certainly if we have jobs of $100,000 a year that replace other jobs of $50,000 a year, that brings additional revenue to the Quebec government,” said Mr. Legault.
He added, “Our job is to ensure that, in every contract that is signed, the ancillary revenue for Quebec residents exceeds the discount that would be given on the marginal cost.”
Goal 2050
More than a week after announcing the departure of Hydro-Québec CEO Sophie Brochu later this spring, François Legault has emphasized that the government must work with companies towards its goal of decarbonizing the province’s economy by 2050.
“When you look at manufacturing companies, that’s 30% of Quebec’s greenhouse gases. It is the second most polluted group after transport, which is 43%. […] What should be done? For the sake of the people of Quebec, and for the benefit of the planet, it is necessary to replace the polluting energies that these companies use, to replace them with clean energies, and mainly with electricity,” he said.
Mr. Legault again pointed to the wealth gap between Quebec and its neighbors, notably Ontario, but also the United States.
The Prime Minister insisted that “enriching society is not an end in itself, but a means of giving oneself a better quality of life.”
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