Quebec Environment Minister David Heurtel announced Tuesday the province is filing a legal injunction against TransCanada’s proposed Energy East oil pipeline with Quebec’s Superior Court.
“Today’s motion is very simple and very clear. It signifies that whoever seeks to build a project in Quebec must comply with all Quebec laws and regulations,” Heurtel said at a press conference.
“This is not only a matter of respect, but equally a question of fairness towards all companies that wish to do business in Quebec.”
The announcement left oil-patch politicians like Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall once again bitter with Quebec for not fully supporting the west-to-east pipeline project.
“I’m very disappointed,” Wall said in response to the province’s push for an injunction. “It seems of late that we seem to be forgetting what’s best about Canada.”
“The Minister himself was quite clear in pointing out it is not a position for or against the pipeline,” Karine Peloffy, executive director of Centre Québécois du Droit de l’Environnement (Quebec Environmental Law Center), said. “It is more an issue of insisting on the proper application of the law.”