There’s never a shortage of files for us to tackle, and this year has been no exception. Here’s a look back at our major achievements of 2023: 

With the adoption of Bill 20 by the National Assembly in June 2023, an important step has been taken to lift the secrecy on the volumes of water withdrawn in Quebec. We’re proud to have played a key role in rallying the general public, municipalities, and elected officials to support this initiative, in conjunction with Eau Secours. Our significant responses led to the tabling and adoption of Bill 20, as well as the tabling of two draft regulations. Their entry into force is expected in the coming year, so we continue to follow this issue closely to ensure transparent water management.

This year, we published a report on climate greenwashing, to examine the current legal landscape in Quebec and Canada and make recommendations to decision-makers based on international best practices. We also published a report on the decarbonization of buildings, in collaboration with Vivre en Ville, to support municipal efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from this sector.

Through this work, we hope to fuel public debate and enrich it with our recommendations, while strengthening the arguments of our allies and collaborators in the struggle to combat the climate crisis.

In 2023, CQDE spearheaded a major mobilization campaign  aimed at improving access to information through the implementation of a registry provided for in the Environment Quality Act (EQA), now five years overdue – an unacceptable delay for the Quebec population. Several hundred citizens and 80 organizations and public figures from various sectors took part in this mobilization initiative, which received wide media coverage and a sympathetic ear from the government, but has yet to be acted upon. We will continue to take action on this issue until we achieve our goal of seeing the registry put in place, as stipulated in the EQA, and ultimately improving access to information in Quebec – an essential tool for engaging in change and taking effective action, both individually and collectively.

Once again this year, the CQDE received numerous requests for legal information via its Enviro Hotline. We processed 486 requests, an increase of 40% over the previous year – a new record! In 2022, the usefulness of the hotline and the quality of the answers provided earned us a special mention from the Jury for the Prix Droits et Libertés awarded by the Commission des droits de la personne du Québec (Quebec Human Rights Commission).

The enormous positive feedback we’ve received confirms the importance of this tool designed to help demystify environmental law and make it an ally: 

“CQDE lawyers on the Green Hotline guided us through our access to information request, which, after many steps, was finally accepted (…) Don’t hesitate to contact this valuable resource for the protection of the environment, in all circumstances where laws and regulations are difficult to interpret or when our rights seem to have been infringed. (…).”  – Catherine, a member of a citizens’ group belonging to the Demain le Québec network

“Thank you so much for your time today. You’ve identified the problem and the possibilities of my going further as a private citizen. I’m going to become a CQDE member! With gratitude.” – Catherine, a private citizen

“Thank you so much for the information and food for thought; it’s much appreciated and certainly rewarding! It will definitely be useful to us.”  – Marianne Caouette , Nature Québec

 

MANY THANKS TO OUR MEMBERS, DONORS, FUNDERS, AND COLLABORATORS FOR THEIR INVALUABLE SUPPORT: