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MONTREAL — Watching Jean Charest resign after 28 years in politics, Quebeckers were struck when his voice choked with emotion. As premier, no one could recall him being so overwhelmed while speaking of his family.
Yet that was not the most poignant moment of his farewell. It was when he pleaded – almost desperately – with premier-designate Pauline Marois to press on with his ambitious plan to harness the province’s resources north of the 49th parallel. “The next government must absolutely pursue the Plan Nord’s development for the future generation of Quebeckers,” he said.
It is remarkable that Mr. Charest, who often appeared aloof as premier, became so passionate about the “construction site of a generation.” What started as a search for a project to win a majority government in the 2008 elections became what he now views as his political legacy. This 25-year plan to access the abundant resources of Quebec’s far north was unveiled in May of 2011. But its figures are still dizzying: $80-billion in investments that will create 20,000 jobs a year and bring in $14-billion in the government’s coffers.
Or so the original plan goes. It now lies in the hands of a skeptical Parti Québécois government, which will unveil its cabinet Wednesday. Everybody expects economist Nicolas Marceau will become the next finance minister.
But who will land the Natural Resource portfolio? “Their caucus is rich in ecologists and poor in business people,” lamented Lucien Bouchard, the former PQ premier, who presides over the Petroleum & Gas Association of Quebec.
“If they continue to do politics on the back of the Plan Nord to please the radicals, they will kill it. But I am hopeful that when the time comes, their good sense will prevail.”
No one believes Ms. Marois wants to sabotage the Plan Nord altogether; she wants to foster Quebec’s growth. But as her government seeks to put its own imprint on Quebec’s resource policy, it may miss out on the end of the commodities boom. Already,businesses are taking a wait-and-see attitude.
One question mark is the use of government funds to build infrastructure that will essentially serve private companies – despite the Liberal Party’s claim that Quebeckers would also benefit from it as tourists, who will go outback camping in the North.
Quebec spent $331-million to build a 243-kilometre road through the Otish mountains to reach the Renard project, which could become the province’s first diamond mine. Quebeckers accepted this eyebrow-raising expense because the province’s investment arm took a 37 per cent stake in its promoter, Stornoway Diamond Corp.
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