April 13, 2022 – The Centre québécois du droit de l’environnement (CQDE) welcomes the adoption of Bill 21, An Act mainly to end petroleum exploration and production and the public financing of those activities, an important legislative advance, which would not have been possible without large-scale grassroots mobilization and firm political will. 

This victory for the fight against climate change is the result of decades of hard work by many environmental, grassroots, student, and health groups. The CQDE is proud to have helped move the dial, notably through the publication in June 2021 of a widely disseminated research report, which confirmed that the Quebec National Assembly has all the powers necessary to pass such legislation. 

  “Passage of this legislation sends a strong signal to the rest of the world. We hope that other states will follow suit and be inspired by Quebec’s leadership in responding to the climate emergency,” stated Me Anne-Sophie Doré, a lawyer with the CQDE.  

“Adoption of the bill definitively closes the door to all petroleum exploration and development in Quebec and will put an end to numerous lawsuits filed against the province, including those in which the CQDE has intervened as a friend of the court,” added Me Marc Bishai, another CQDE lawyer.  

“Of course, our job isn’t done. We must now work on repairing the damage caused by the industry and on reaching our GHG emission reduction targets, but for now, we can celebrate the fact that grassroots mobilization, coupled with political will, can move things in the right direction. This decisive victory brings great hope for Quebec and the whole world and there’s much to be proud of” concluded Sophie-Anne Legendre, interim executive director of the CQDE. 

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