CAQ defends its actions amid opposition accusations of preferential treatment in Northvolt plant project

Quebec Premier Francois Legault speaks at a news conference, Thursday, February 8, 2024 at the legislature in Quebec City. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

Premier François Legault maintains that assisting businesses is part of the role of the Ministry of the Environment amid accusations from the opposition of preferential treatment and potentially offering a free ride regarding the Northvolt battery plant project in Montérégie.

La Presse reported on Friday that the government had had discussions with the company even before it was registered, and Radio-Canada revealed that civil servants had supported Northvolt in its approval process. 

The biologist working at the ministry, who recommended that Northvolt be granted ministerial authorization, had several exchanges with the company to help it adjust to the requirements, which, according to the premier, is the usual way of doing things.

"The role of the Ministry of the Environment is to support companies," said Legault at a press briefing in his riding of L'Assomption on Friday. Obtaining ministerial authorization should not be "an obstacle course," he added.

"The Ministry of the Environment helps a company comply with the environmental standards we have in Quebec, which are the highest in North America, and I think it's part of its role to do that," Legault said.

But the opposition sees things differently.

"The more we learn about the Northvolt case, the more doubts are raised or the appearance of preferential treatment for the company becomes obvious, and the more demands are made for greater transparency on the part of the government," said PQ MNA Joël Arseneau during a press scrum in Quebec City.

Asked to respond to the criticisms, Premier Legault spoke of his pride in having helped Northvolt establish itself in Quebec.

"Over the past few weeks, I've heard the three opposition parties - the Liberal Party, Québec solidaire and the Parti québécois -- criticize Northvolt's investment. I'm very proud that Quebec is becoming a world leader. I'm weighing my words. A world leader in the green economy," he said.

Arseneau also raised questions about a lunch that Northvolt founder Pablo Cerruti had with Economy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon on Feb. 6, 2023, which was not declared in the lobbyist registry.

Two weeks later, a request for a change in environmental regulations was filed, favouring Northvolt by exempting it from a review process by the Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement (BAPE).

"We suspect that the company got a free pass, and without blaming or being against an industrial project of this scale in any way, we reiterate that the government's secrecy is damaging the project, damaging Northvolt and damaging the confidence we can have in a project like this," said the PQ MNA.

When asked whether the rules surrounding the BAPE review process for a company like Northvolt had been changed before or after the government's initial meetings with the Swedish company, Legault said, "The answer is simple. There were no standards for the battery industry. In fact, there weren't any for companies in what we call the green economy."

Québec solidaire (QS) MNA Christine Labrie said Fitzgibbon is managing this file "all wrong," and that many rules are being circumvented.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Feb. 16, 2024.