Québec commends Ontario's climate change consultation

QUEBEC CITY, Feb. 12, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - Québec's Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and the Fight against Climate Change, David Heurtel, enthusiastically welcomes the initiative taken by his Ontario counterpart, the Hon. Glen R. Murray, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, who today announced a public consultation on climate change. Québec fully subscribes to the general vision proposed in the consultation's discussion paper, which sees the fight against climate change as being in lock-step with sustainable and prosperous economic development.

"Just like Québec, Ontario has well understood the need for taking urgent action to fight climate change. In taking this initiative, Ontario is proposing concrete and innovative solutions for protecting the environment while improving our generation's quality of life and our children's. I would like to offer our support to Ontario and express our full cooperation in order to fight against climate change together," said Minister Heurtel.

A greenhouse gas (GHG) cap-and-trade system figures among the solutions proposed by Ontario during the consultation process. Québec itself chose to link its own GHG cap-and-trade system of emission credits with California's on January 1, 2014, at once creating the largest carbon market in North America.

"Thanks to the Green Fund's revenues, mainly from the carbon market, Quebec's government is able to finance measures set out in the 2013-2020 Climate Change Action Plan and thus promote the transition of Québec companies to a greener economy. Estimated at $ 3.3 billion by 2020, the Green Fund's revenues are a powerful motor force for re-launching the economy and creating jobs," Minister Heurtel continued.

Québec is pleased to be able to count on the cooperation of Ontario in the fight against climate change. Premiers Philippe Couillard and Kathleen Wynne have intensified environmental and climate change cooperation in recent months. On November 21, 2014, Québec and Ontario signed the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Ontario and Le Gouvernement du Québec Concerning Concerted Climate Change Actions in which figures a commitment to explore how Ontario could use market mechanisms such as those implemented by Québec and California within the framework of the Western Climate Initiative. Ontario is also a member of this North American forum.

SOURCE: Guillaume Bérubé Press Officer Cabinet of the Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and the Fight Against Climate Change Tel.: [phone]

INFORMATION : Media Relations Ministère du Développement durable, de l'Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques Tel.: [phone]

SOURCE Cabinet du ministre du Développement durable, de l'Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques

SOURCE: Guillaume Bérubé, Press Officer, Cabinet of the Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and the Fight Against Climate Change, Tel.: [phone]; INFORMATION : Media Relations, Ministère du Développement durable, de l'Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, Tel.: [phone]