The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents about 16,000 Hydro-Québec employees, has responded strongly to news of the resignation of Hydro-Québec CEO Michael Sabia. The announcement of his departure comes four days after closure was invoked to push through Bill 69. To CUPE, this confirms that Sabia was appointed to privatize parts of Hydro-Québec ahead of the passage of the bill, setting the table for the development of lucrative electricity production and distribution monopolies for major players in the private sector.
“Sabia’s appointment was of great concern to us initially, and now the worst-case scenario has just materialized. He did the strong-arming he was asked to do, and now he’s headed back to Ottawa. His mandate was marked by a far-reaching privatization campaign, culminating in passage of Bill 69. This creates a major breach in Hydro-Québec’s electricity distribution monopoly and sets a course for the development of private sector wind, solar and hydroelectric production,” said Patrick Gloutney, president of CUPE Québec.
“In the weeks after taking office, Sabia met with some of our Hydro-Québec unions, which questioned him on the possibility of privatization. He clearly denied any willingness to go that route and stated his fondness for Hydro-Québec’s public sector model. He subsequently defended himself by claiming that Bill 69 wasn’t a form of privatization, which is way off base,” said Gloutney.
CUPE will pursue its efforts to mobilize and raise the awareness of Quebeckers to pave the way to erasing the privatization legacy of Michael Sabia and the CAQ and to restore Hydro-Québec’s public sector model that took shape during the Quiet Revolution.