MONTREAL -- Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) ministers want to help workers who are at risk from the transition to a greener economy.
On Wednesday the CAQ sided with a Parti Québécois (PQ) opposition motion in favour of a "fair transition."
The "fair transition" consists of interventions that will help preserve the rights and livelihoods of workers affected by the conversion to a carbon-neutral economy, such as those employed in the oil and refining industries.
"We must ensure that workers will not bear the brunt of this transition alone," said PQ MNA Sylvain Gaudreault, who tabled the motion, at a press conference.
"This is a collective responsibility, not just for the affected workers."
Tabled jointly with the Labour Minister Jean Boulet, the motion calls on the government "to immediately set up an interdepartmental working group on the transition."
The motion also calls for the participation of an equal number of "representatives of workers' and employers' associations [...] so that they can seize the opportunities that emerge from the climate transition and limit its impacts on competitiveness and employment."
All parties and independent members supported the motion, which was adopted unanimously.
A motion is a resolution of the House that does not bind the government. In other words, it expresses a wish of the Assembly, but not an order.
--This report was first published in French by The Canadian Press on Oct. 6, 2021.
