CUPE locals representing more than 16,000 Hydro-Québec employees, and their allies held a rally in front of Quebec’s National Assembly to reiterate that Quebecers must remain masters of their own home and that the private sector’s role in the energy sector must not be allowed. Inside, the FTQ and CUPE were testifying before the parliamentary commission on Bill 69 regarding Quebec’s energy future.
‘The government has every interest in not abandoning the legacy of René Lévesque and Adélard Godbout by letting private companies take over our natural resources, as was the case before electricity was nationalised. It’s in the national interest for Hydro-Québec to retain the exclusive right to operate a distribution network and for the government to reduce the percentage of private production of electricity,’ explained Pierre-Guy Sylvestre, an economist with CUPE Québec. He had just addressed the parliamentary commission alongside Denis Bolduc, Secretary General of the FTQ.
Bill 69 will provide a framework for the vast reform of the energy sector. The future law, one of the most important in modern Québec history, will shape the energy transition.
‘We must not miss our chance. No to privatisation! It’s not a good idea, not for economic development, not for the environment, not for the financing of public services, and not for people’s wallets! We represent the members who have the expertise behind the undeniable success of our state-owned company, and they want us to remember that this is due to the fact that electricity services are public,’ says SCFP-Québec President Patrick Gloutney, who was also present at the parliamentary commission.