Finance committee  Yes, thank you. I will also add something to the GDP discussion because, in 2023, it's important to use other measurement indicators. I invite all of you to visit the website Indicateurs.quebec, which presents all kinds of factors to consider, such as GDP per capita, of course, but also the social economy, the unemployment rate, the motorization rate per family, as well as various indicators related to land use and biodiversity.

Finance committee  Thank you for the question. Actually, the government can do a lot, both by looking at what the provinces are doing and what other countries are doing. Obviously, encouraging active mobility and public transit and developing inter-regional transportation using other means than personal cars and trucks are the best ways to reduce our carbon footprint.

Finance committee  Thank you for the question. I do think that was done in relation to nitrogen fertilizer. In the last budget, it was a very good advancement. Unfortunately, since we were notified very late about this meeting today and since I am not our agriculture expert, I wouldn't be able to fully answer your question.

Finance committee  If I understand your question correctly, I would say that untouched land is definitely a form of carbon capture and storage. It's a natural one. That's why we think that any kinds of policies and measures that support soil health are beneficial for the future of Canada, whether in terms of affordability for food or for climate action and other social benefits like that.

Finance committee  Absolutely. I think that government needs to show leadership when it comes to climate action. For sure, it needs to set the pace and it needs to set the right targets and the right price signals to ensure that the entire economy will follow. However, I do think that the industries that are responsible for the climate crisis and contributed to it a lot historically, or still do today, need to do their fair share.

Finance committee  Could you just clarify why the oil companies would be inclined to behave in a particular way in relation to the amendment?

Finance committee  At first glance, given that the target is a 40% to 45% reduction by 2030—it's now 2023—I think you have a good read of the issue. I also believe that we shouldn't be allowed to postpone projects, at least not too far into the future, if we want to give ourselves a chance to meet those targets.

Finance committee  Thank you for the question. It will help the Canadian economy in a number of ways. First, by decarbonizing our energy system, we're making huge environmental gains and curbing climate change here at home. That prevents a whole host of repercussions we are well aware of. If we dig a little deeper into what's been announced, the conditions put in place are extremely worthwhile.

Finance committee  Yes, absolutely. Any pollution should come at a cost. Pollution has a huge impact on society, so putting a price on pollution only sends the right message about the changes that need to be made in our society. Specifically, the carbon tax has been shown to be the most effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Finance committee  First of all, I'd like to add that Canada's carbon pricing system is also a good thing because the money goes back into Canadians' pockets. That's another very interesting point. With respect to the United States, most of their commitments are massive and very significant. It's really great that they have finally taken this step, but they don't have many regulatory measures.

Finance committee  Absolutely. Including people in this process also means businesses must then adapt to respond to what people are asking for. Obviously, if a carbon tax is in place and people change their behaviour, it will also encourage the use of less polluting alternatives in return. So we have to look at it from a systemic perspective.

Finance committee  Good afternoon, and thank you very much for those questions. I'll start with hydrogen. It doesn't need to be repeated, but I'm going to anyway: clearly, the era of fossil fuels is over. This means we have to work on the development of the next sectors, the sectors of the future, namely clean energy.

Finance committee  We must transform the Canadian automotive industry if it is to remain competitive in the economy of tomorrow. That's clear. However, when it comes to the quantity, format and size of batteries or vehicles that we want to see built in the future, we need to focus on sobriety if we want to reduce our energy consumption.

Finance committee  Good afternoon, Mr. Chair. Good afternoon, members of the Committee. My name is Andréanne Brazeau and I'm a climate policy analyst at Équiterre, one of the country's leading environmental organizations, which this year is celebrating 30 years of environmental and climate action.