Premier Francois Legault is again being accused of not taking the environment seriously following a decision not to attend a major UN climate change conference.
When he was sworn in two weeks ago, Legault said he was adding the environment to his list of priorities. He later admitted that the CAQ didn't talk enough about the environment during the election campaign.
“We got the message from the population during the campaign,” he said in a mea culpa.
But when asked if he would attend the COP24 climate summit taking place from Dec. 3 to 13 in Poland, he said his agenda was “very busy.”
The opposition parties put pressure on the premier, saying he should go to send a strong message about Quebec's commitment to environmental issues – but still, Legault opted out.
Interim Liberal leader Pierre Arcand was quick to pounce, saying on Twitter: "His refusal to participate is concrete proof of his disinterest in the battle against climate change."
A spokesperson for the premier's office says the meeting will be "very technical" and so there's no need for Legault to attend personally.
Instead, the government will send Environment Minister MarieChantal Chasse.
Chasse, though, has been under scrutiny and accused of not understanding her file after struggling to answer questions posed by the media.
The climate change conference will be an excellent opportunity for the new minister, said Quebec solidaire environment critic Ruba Ghazal.
“For me, it's important to give her time to be familiarized with these new files and what's interesting is that when she will go to this climate change summit, the COP24, it will be like an intensive course about climate change, about these very important issues,” she said.
Ghazal, though, said she is disappointed Legault won’t also attend.
“I'm surprised because the premier had a very good opportunity to demonstrate his sincerity when he said that he's listening to the preoccupations of the population about climate change,” she said.
On the federal side, Environment Minister Catherine McKenna has said she would attend. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has not yet confirmed his presence.
The UN Conference on Climate Change opens at a busy time for the Legault government.
The legislature gets underway on Nov. 27 and in principle should be in session until Dec. 7, during which time the new government is expected to present its first bills since winning October's election.
