A majority of Quebecers support the development of a local energy sector, according to an IPSOS poll commissioned by the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI) and published Wednesday.."Contrary to what the government says, Quebecers want the energy sector to develop," Olivier Rancourt, economist at the MEI said.."Quebecers understand the province can help replace Russian energy exports to the European Union all while creating quality jobs here at home.".The government of Quebec passed Bill 21 on April 12, effectively banning oil and gas production in the Eastern Canadian province and agreeing to provide compensation to the industry..In June, Utica Resources filed a lawsuit in Superior Court to nullify Bill 21 or, failing that, to obtain compensation of $18 Billion, which independent experts determined is the net present value of future profits for the company..Utica Resources is a Quebec company whose mission is to participate in the energy transition currently underway by developing a diversified portfolio that includes, in addition to light oil and natural gas, renewable energy projects such as hydrogen and CO2 storage..READ MORE: Two-thirds of Quebecers want natural gas resources developed.The suit states Bill 21 constitutes an attack on Utica Resources' right to "the peaceful enjoyment and free disposition of its property", a fundamental right protected by the Quebec Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Article 6) and section 952 of the Civil Code of Quebec, which states: "No owner may be compelled to transfer his ownership except by expropriation according to law for public utility and in return for a just and prior indemnity.".CEO of Utica Resources Mario Levesque said, "These numbers show what people are telling me all day long."."I am disappointed our government does not listen to the citizens of Quebec. It is about time politicians finally listen," Levesque said.."The arguments in favour of exploiting natural gas in Quebec are undeniable. Quebec has 20% of Canada's natural gas reserves. Our oil and natural gas imports generate a trade deficit of $15 billion per year.".According to Levesque, the production and export of these resources would generate tens of billions in royalties and taxes for the government..A sample of 1,162 Canadians aged 18 years and over were polled between November 10-13..According to the poll, 61% of Quebecers think Quebec should develop its natural gas potential to reduce European dependence on Russian gas..On the question of developing Quebec's oil resources, 54% of respondents are in favour..The Quebec LNG project, for its part, also receives the support of a majority of Quebec respondents (53%), and is opposed by only 30%..Yet at COP27 last week, Quebec Energy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon said the project was "dead" and "for now, the population has been clear.".READ MORE: COP27: Guilbeault says Canada reiterated commitment to phase out fossil fuel subsidies by 2023.Minister of Environment and Climate Change of Canada Steven Guilbeault says Canada and nearly 200 other countries reached agreement on the Sharm el-Sheikh Implementation Plan, the next step forward for climate ambition under the Paris Agreement.."This outcome from the 27th UN Climate Conference went down to the wire," Guilbeault said..The 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference, more commonly referred to as COP27, was the 27th United Nations Climate Change conference held from Nov. 6-18 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.."Early versions of the decision text undermined the ambition of the Paris Agreement and failed to reflect and build on the ambition and alignment reached by all parties just one year ago in Glasgow. This made no sense. Canada's position was steadfast: the latest science says we need to limit temperature increases to 1.5 degrees in order to avert the worst consequences of climate change, and that countries need to be accelerating their climate mitigation efforts, and we must not backslide," Guilbeault said.."This is exactly what we are doing at home with our sector-by-sector Emissions Reduction Plan. With the help of many like-minded countries, we successfully prevented any backslide, but I am disappointed we were unable to get any further than that.".Another interesting observation the poll found was 60% of Canadians are against raising taxes to fight climate change.."With the past year's high inflation, it's easy to understand families just don't have the means to pay more," Rancourt said.."With increases in rent, groceries, and transportation, it's to be expected Canadians want their government to go easy on the tax hikes."
