Report - Agence canadienne d'évaluation environnementale

Opinions of participants
Climate change
Climate change was a concern for many participants, including the AQLPA, which
stated that these disruptions “pose a great threat to the planet, its inhabitants, its
natural resources, a great number of animal and plant species, as well as human
societies and the economy” (DM592.1, p. 87). In this respect, Québec solidaire
underscored that: “according to several experts, climate changes expected from now
until the end of this century represent the greatest challenge that humanity will ever
face” (DM466, p. 7).
Stratégie Saint-Laurent, which was especially preoccupied by the potential impacts of
these disruptions on the St. Lawrence River’s ecosystem and the losses of use that
they could result in, “wants to make sure that the development of the natural gas
industry will be done in line with the fight against climate change, and that it not
become a substitute to the development of other energy sources which are less
damaging to the environment” (DM557, p. 6). One participant underscored the fact
that environmental dynamics comprise a large number of unknown aspects and
believed that “companies cannot allow themselves to be as lax as they were in recent
decades” (Mr. François Lafontaine, DM468, p. 2). For other participants, it doesn’t
seem logical to ask citizens to do their part for the environment while some industries
pollute (Ms. Thérèse Carrier and Mr. Claude Labrecque, DM40, p. 2).
Several participants were convinced that an additional supply in natural gas could
result in lower greenhouse gas emissions, and therefore be in line with Canada’s
Kyoto Protocol commitments 1 . The main argument in this respect was based on the
fact that users of more polluting fossil fuels such as coal and fuel oil could replace
them with natural gas, which generates less greenhouse gases. This conversion
would have an especially important impact in the United States (International
Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, DM46, p. 6). Some participants 2 specified that the
project favours transporting the natural gas by ship and pipeline, which pollute less
than road transportation, for example.
1. Mr. Serge Belval, DM449, p. 3; Fabrication PFL inc., DM207, p. 2; Mr. Mario Martin, DM249; Mr. Frédéric
Bilodeau, DM275, p. 1; Corporation Nuvolt inc., DM324, p. 5; Hexion Specialty Chemicals Canada, Inc., DM337,
p. 4; Location Prince, DM456, p. 2; Mr. Normand Tremblay, DM364, p. 1; Les urnes en bronze Bégin, DM447;
Ms. Ève Duchesne, DM567, p. 1.
2. Ms. Thérèse Boucher, DM566, p. 5 and 8; Mr. Christian Jobin, DM8, p. 1; The St. Lawrence Seaway
Management Corporation, DM165, p. 2; Mr. Steve Côté, DM280, p. 5.
22 Rabaska Project – Implementation of an LNG Terminal and Related Infrastructure