Report - Agence canadienne d'évaluation environnementale

Opinions of participants
environment’s quality: “our forests are one of our greatest renewable resources, but
they need our help to continue to meet our needs, and it’s thanks to a rich and
prosperous economy that we will find the means to fulfill our aspirations” (Mr. Mathieu
Lafontaine, DM291).
The project’s social acceptability
Many participants came to assess the motivations and factors which justify accepting
or rejecting the project under study. Without a doubt, the aspect of the project’s social
acceptability transcended the overall debate during the public hearings. For some,
social acceptability represents a determining factor in the project’s success as “the
proponents have little chance of succeeding if their project can’t win the support the
local populations” (Mr. Yves St-Laurent, DM377, p. 13). In this respect, Démocratie
Lévis recalled the importance of social acceptability when accepting or rejecting largescale
projects:
The social acceptability of a project is now an integral part of the decision-making
process to build a new project in an inhabited area, especially if this project is
major in scope and has impacts which are measured over several decades, as is
the case with the Rabaska project […]. In point of fact, social acceptability is, in
our opinion, a sine qua non condition for this Panel to approve a project […].
(DM371, p. 8)
Consequently, several participants shared their views on the factors which influence
the definition of the project’s social acceptability. More specifically, the following
aspects were of interest: the project’s justification and purpose, the collective interest,
the ratio of pros and cons as well as the integration of sustainable development
principles.
The project’s purpose
For a large number of participants, there is a close relationship between the social
acceptability and purpose of the Rabaska project. As such, the GIRAM was of the
opinion that “one of the first conditions of a project’s acceptability is its purpose.
Regarding Québec’s energy needs, the proponent is having a great deal of difficulty
convincing people of his project’s necessity” (DM461, p. 75). In this perspective, its
purpose, from an energy and economic standpoint, wasn’t at all established according
to some participants and, consequently, compromised its social acceptability. In this
respect, one participant specified:
Rabaska Project – Implementation of an LNG Terminal and Related Infrastructure 63