A climate activist is highly critical of Francois Legault's decision to sit out the UN's annual climate summit this week in New York City and is outraged by the CAQ's inaction on climate change after a year in power.

"It is legitimate to ask if they are climate skeptics because for the moment they act and govern like climate skeptics…the government is outdated, out of step with the emergency," says the man behind the Pact for Ecological Transition, Dominic Champagne.

'The Pact' is a petition aimed at fighting climate change that's accumulated more than 280,000 signatures.

Legault's absence from the UN summit will be a departure for recent-day Quebec premiers. Since Jean Charest's time in power, it's become a tradition for the premier to attend Climate Week, but Francois Legault is sending his environment and energy ministers instead.

Dominic Champagne met with Legault last year and even joined the CAQ as a sign of good faith. Now he says he is disappointed with the premier and hopes public mobilization will force the government to act.

He acknowledges the CAQ has put measures in place to encourage the purchase of electric cars. However, "these actions do not meet the challenges," and he says "projects like the Saguenay natural gas liquefaction plant "negate all government efforts."

Quebec Solidaire weighed in Monday with its plans for Climate Week. Co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois says Champagne's criticism is legitimate.

"We've seen a government repeating declarations that they think climate change is a big deal, we have to do something, I could not look my children in their eyes, but then a few days after that it's all about pipelines, it's all about oil, it's all about new road infrastructure, so that's a blatant contradiction," said Nadeau-Dubois. 

"I think that's why someone like Dominic Champagne asked the question, do we have a government that believes in climate change? I think it's pertinent because they say something, but they do something else."

All of Quebec Solidaire's MNAs say they plan to join the march on Sept. 27. 

Nadeau-Dubois announced Monday morning each member will donate a day's salary to local environmental groups. 

With files from La Presse Canadienne and CTV News Montreal's Maya Johnson