Libre-Opinion: increase the burden
Stephen Coutu, Montreal
Le Devoir edition Thursday, February 28, 2008
When it comes to budgets, governments apply to remember the principle of communicating vessels between departments. But beyond the rhetoric and good intentions, should we not see a connection between the huge budgets of the Department of Transport (MTQ) and our apparent composure to meet our Kyoto commitments?
In its editorial of January 24, 2008 entitled "Where is the consistency?", Jean-Robert Sansfacon questioned the attitude of the government in its modernization project of the Notre Dame sidelines advice from the Directorate of Public Health of Montreal (DSP). He wondered "whether to call it inconsistency or hypocrisy." The government was quick to offer some answers.
few days later, on February 11, Minister of Transport, Julie Boulet, announced a major investment of $ 2.7 billion in highways, including 774 million went to its expansion. We found that day, alongside the Minister, André Lavallée, Mayor of the Borough and is responsible for urban planning for the City of Montreal. He could rejoice, because this announcement confirmed Indeed, the budgets allocated to the project of Notre Dame.
One of the recommendations of the Committee on the collapse of Johnson Concorde overpass was that the MTQ invest half a billion dollars a year for ten years for structural maintenance in order to improve the overall condition. Quebec has found a way to exceed expectations by the radiance and thus justify the investment in network expansion. Just in Montreal on the 402 million will be invested this year, 202 million will "improve or develop the network."
Yet in Montreal has the highest infrastructure in poor condition. How then to justify that over 50% of the budget is dedicated to the development of the network? Quebec has announced that he was referring to the Turcot 1.8 billion dollars and it will soon re Metropolitan Boulevard, it will mobilize a large portion of the money. Beside this, we realize the bridge of the A-25 for 350 million, the "modernization" of Notre Dame for 750 million and would complement the A-30 for 1.3 billion. Do we take that much to complete a planned network in the 1960s to the 1960s fashion?
Meanwhile, the Environment Minister Line Beauchamp tries to convince us that Quebec will meet the Kyoto requirements. Stung recently by an article in Le Devoir journalist Louis-Gilles Francoeur, who asserted the contrary, she felt obliged to intervene to remember that "Quebec was more determined than ever to go into overdrive to fight against climate change .
Has she no idea what the rest of his government do? Does she know that we continue to roll out the red carpet solo to self, and this, especially in urban areas, even deface the historic districts as fragile Hochelaga-Maisonneuve and Sainte-Marie. Aware that each space that is earned by the car results in an increase in traffic? That this traffic produces a lot of our GHG emissions? And there are alternatives in the latest report compiled by the DSP, entitled "Urban Transportation, a health issue? Departments are talking among themselves?
Continue to say that we care about our carbon emissions when we just opened the door to a huge LNG terminal project - a cleaner fuel than others but still a fossil fuel - if n is not hypocrisy, is the world laugh. And it's nothing to reassure the citizens who participated in consultations public on the draft of Notre Dame, whose report will be submitted to the Ministry of Environment by the body Convercité in a few days. Who can doubt that the certificate of authorization MTQ expects to carry out the work will be delivered quickly, no matter what this report?
Some Liberal ministers stand by their immense ability to twist arms. Just think of the passage of Jean-Marc Fournier in education or that of Claude Bechard for the Environment and Sustainable Development to be convinced. How to make the Minister Beauchamp now seem inspired by those of his predecessor. But one likes them or not, they still have some force which lacks the Minister Boulet: as a minister must sometimes be able to say no to people of his own department.
one who "undertook to pass on road infrastructure quality to our children and our grandchildren" did not understand that the burden we already carry in no case should continue to s' expand. Is it going to be the minister of Sustainable Development and Environment to say no to these highway projects exceeded, or is what we can do right away our mourning of Notre Dame scale human, with all the potential access to the river present or future? [...]
There are choices to be consistent with our commitments to the Kyoto Protocol. However, if we are not witnessing any such effort, we are politicians cons by a beautiful dose of hypocrisy. Remains only to observe, and judge when the time comes.
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