Quebec Liberals say province must cut energy waste by two thirds at party convention

Quebec Liberals set priorities for 2022 election The Quebec Liberal Party's convention is underway and it's focussing on the environment for next year's election.

Montreal — In the 1970s, Robert Bourassa left his mark on the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ) by focusing on the energy sector. Five decades later, Dominique Anglade will attempt to do the same.

Expectations were high Friday evening in the hall of the Quebec City Convention Center, where the head of the PLQ delivered her opening speech for the 34th convention of the 150-year-old political party.

Anglade vowed her party would work towards a future free from oil and fossil fuels.

“The Liberal Party is the energy party of Quebec,” she said, estimating that the green hydrogen sector had “titanic” potential.

An Anglade government would nationalize the production and distribution of green hydrogen, which is produced through a process involving electricity and water.

She said she wants her party to take on an uncompromising environmental transition centered on energy efficiency, adding Quebec must cut two-thirds of its energy waste within 10 years.

“In the 21st century, the global issue is the issue of climate change,” she said. “There is a Quebec response.”

-- For more details, watch CTV News' Matt Grillo's video report above

 -- This report was first published by The Canadian Press in French on Nov. 26, 2021.