Published on May 31, 2018
On May 23rd and 24th, at The Palais de Congrès de Montréal, the Just Energy Transition Summit was organized by the Institut du Nouveau Monde in collaboration with the CSN, the FTQ, Fondaction, the David Suzuki Foundation, the Fonds de solidarité de la FTQ and Greenpeace. Nearly 250 people gathered to attend panels, round tables and workshops aiming to build a common strategy for a just energy transition that benefits workers, civil society, the environment and the economy.
The discussions led to the following conditions necessary to a just transition:
- The mobilization of civil society and business actors is crucial;
- Retraining workers (including through training) must be provided to meet the needs of a green economy;
- A coherent GHG tax policy is needed;
- Standardized and universally accepted tools for measuring GHGs need to emerge;
- More attractive “green” investment opportunities need to be created and misconceptions about investments in the transition need to be addressed;
- Governments must accompany and oversee all transition processes.
François Meloche participated in the panel on the levers and obstacles in the financial industry for the implementation of a just transition. He summed up the Summit as follows: “This unifying symposium offers a glimpse of a constructive dialogue between civil society, businesses, investors, farmers and indigenous peoples. Quebec’s driving forces are increasingly aligned behind a decarbonization of the economy that combines economic development, quality employment and respect for the environment. This will make it easier for governments to legislate and set up programs to accelerate a just energy and ecological transition “.