It seems that politicians spend most of their time trying to get elected and re-elected. After a few terms in office, though, they start to focus more on their legacy – less on what the voters think of them, and more on what historians will think of them. For some, their legacy is changing the political dialogue (FDR, Reagan) while for others, their legacy is not quite what they wished (Nixon and Watergate, Carter and malaise). In the case of Quebec Premier Jean Charest, his legacy may be the development of his province’s northern extremities, something that is called “Plan Nord.”
Mr. Charest was in New York last week and addressed a luncheon crowd of a few hundred, hosted by the Foreign Policy Association. He explained that he had plans to spend $80 billion (since the US and Canadian currencies are close to parity these days, the figure is more or less the same either side of the border) over the next 25 years to develop Quebec’s far north, that area north of the 49th parallel. The area is rich in minerals and energy, and Mr. Charest said that this was an opportunity to think ahead and “get it right.” He intimated that far too often, we North Americans in our drive to develop resources don’t always get it right – and I can’t argue the point.
On renewable energy projects, Plan Nord calls for the expenditure of $47 billion. The overwhelming majority of that money is to go on hydroelectric development. The ambition is to expand capacity by 3,500 megawatts: 3,000 megawatts in hydroelectric, 300 MW in wind, and 200 MW from other sources (which means mainly underwater turbines). This will create 75,000 jobs.
Naturally, the two concerns about this are the environment and the fate of the aboriginal peoples in the area Plan Nord covers.
On the environment, half of the area north of the 49 parallel is going to be set aside for non-industrial purposes. In terms of area, it is comparable to all of France. This means a huge area of “provincial parks, aquatic reserves and planned biodiversity reserves.” Naturally, Mr. Charest can’t promise that the area won’t be developed or exploited 50 years from now when the world will inevitably be a different place, but for the duration of Plan Nord, these lands are off limits to development.
“We have adopted an unprecedented approach to protect and develop Québec’s outstanding northern heritage. This vast natural territory has extensive, varied fauna and flora along with often untapped wealth. We are proud to guarantee the long-term survival of this heritage and ensure that it is offered to current and future generations,” Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks Pierre Arcand said in a press release ahead of Mr. Charest’s visit to New York.
Currently, there are about 120,000 people who live in northern Quebec. Of that, about 33,000 are aboriginal peoples, and historically, the folks who get the worst of any development are the indigenous population. Plan Nord tries to bring their needs and aspirations in at the very beginning – they are being viewed as partners rather than obstacles.
“The grand council of the Cree, which represent 9 Cree communities and 16,000 Cree were full partners in the announcement,” said Quebec Minister of Native Affairs Geoffrey Kelley in a press statement. “Makivik Corporation and Kativik Regional Government which represent 10,000 Inuit in the 14 Northern villages (also) signed Plan Nord. The Naskapi community of Kawawachikamach which is on the territory was a full partner and signed the agreement as did two Innu communities,” added Kelley.
Of course, there is some opposition from the aboriginal communities. Chief Ghislain Picard, Chief of the Assembly of the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador (AFNQL, the regional organization regrouping the 43 Chiefs of the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador), issued a statement calling it “an incomplete process for the First Nations,” adding “I refuse to participate in a process which does not yet adequately meet the expectations of all concerned First Nations.”
To an experienced eye, this looks like the start of a negotiating stance, rather than an outright rejection of the process.
Of course, as the late British Prime Minister Harold Wilson said, “a week is a long time in politics,” so 25 years must be an eternity. In that time, there is a fairly good chance Mr. Charest’s Liberals may lose power at some stage (in New York, he joked about his less-than-stratospheric standing in opinion polls in Quebec). The real challenge to his legacy is whether a Tory, New Democratic or Parti Quebecois government (or some coalition thereof) would pursue the plan with the same vigor and passion. However, once a project like this gets off the ground, it is more likely that there will be small changes to direction rather than a complete halt. There are worse legacies in politics.
