Surprisingly, the leader of the Parti Québécois stated that he had “no position on that” when a journalist asked if he could provide a subsidy to the multinational to help it meet its environmental goals.
“A priori, that’s not our role. So, a priori, no. But we have no announcement or specific reflection on that,” added the PQ leader on the sidelines of an announcement about regional services in Val-d’Or.
Since the start of the campaign, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has insisted that he would turn off the tap for multinationals, notably by abolishing the Economic Development Fund. As recently as February, the PQ’s refusal was clear: there was no question of responding positively to the smelter’s request for financial aid, which had then threatened closure.
Last spring, Quebec allowed Glencore to emit more arsenic than planned for a longer period, an authorization that was extended to other heavy metals, such as lead and copper, through an unprecedented legislative amendment. The move sparked an outcry from public health officials in Abitibi-Témiscamingue.
Under this authorization, the company was granted a delay of about two years to reach the threshold of 15 nanograms of arsenic per cubic meter of air (ng/m³) by 2030. This is an interim target, whereas Quebec’s standard for arsenic emissions is set at 3 ng/m³.
“The goal of a Parti Québécois government is to protect the population, but it will not sabotage what has just been agreed upon by adding another layer of instability,” declared Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, surrounded by his team of candidates in Abitibi-Témiscamingue.