Québec, 24 October 2002 - The Minister of State for Municipal Affairs and Greater Montreal, the Environment and Water, Mr. Andre Boisclair, today obtained the unanimous support from members of the Québec National Assembly for a motion concerning the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol in Canada.

Considering this support and that expressed in a joint declaration issued by a coalition of industrial, environmental, municipal, union, and private stakeholders, the Minister says he is firmly resolved to defend this same position at the Meeting of Federal Provincial and Territorial Ministers of Energy and Environment to be held on 28 October 2002 in Halifax.

Speaking before the National Assembly, Minister Boisclair declared that "already we have expressed our disagreement with respect to the Federal proposal. We feel it minimizes the impact of the Protocol’s implementation on sectors that are major GHG generators, such as hydrocarbon producers, and this at the expense of the manufacturing industry, which is primarily concentrated in Québec. Moreover, the manufacturing industry has already invested considerable efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

The Minister also underscored the importance of formal recognition within the allocation formula, of Québec’s greenhouse gas emission reduction initiatives undertaken since 1990, as well as of those to be achieved by 2008. With respect to the allocation formula as it affects the energy sector, the Minister has asked that energy sources generating lower carbon levels be favoured.

The motion adopted today also recommends the manufacturing sector receives fair treatment when it comes to allocating emission rights, and not be equated with the energy sector.

The Minister continued by emphasising the necessity of a Canada-Québec bilateral agreement for funding and implementing the Kyoto Protocol on Québec territory. "Québec is in favour of ratifying the Kyoto Protocol, but we reject the Federal proposal as it currently stands. We also reiterate our request to the Federal Government to enter into an agreement with Québec, that is specific to the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol on our territory," concluded Andre Boisclair.

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