Bay du Nord: Steven Guilbeault insulted by an activist in his county

Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault was shouted at by an environmental activist while making an announcement in his riding of Laurier—Sainte-Marie on Thursday morning.

Bay du Nord: Steven Guilbeault insulted by an activist in his county

Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault was shouted at by an environmental activist while making an announcement in his riding of Laurier—Sainte-Marie on Thursday morning.

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Mr. Guilbault was on hand to announce funding totaling $350,000 from the HIV and Hepatitis C Community Action Fund to support RÉZO in Montreal, AIDS Committee of Toronto and MAX Ottawa, community organizations in areas most affected by the monkeypox outbreak.

However, from the start of the press briefing, the activist insulted him, calling him a “climate criminal”, concerning the Bay du Nord project.

“How can such a decision be justified? Do you accept Bay du Nord?”, proclaims the protester.

"We are in a climate emergency," said the activist, and Guilbeault replied: "I agree with you. We have done more than any other government on this issue.”

“We have the highest GHG emissions per capita in the world! You are a climate criminal”, continues the activist while being escorted to the exit.

On April 6, the Canadian government gave the green light to this controversial project, which plans to extract 300 million to 1 billion barrels of oil over 30 years, starting in 2028 off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. .

The Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault assured in April that he assumed this decision 100%.

The announcement of the green light for the project came two days after the release of a damning new report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The document urges governments to drastically reduce their oil production, mentioning that humanity has only three years to cap its greenhouse gas emissions.

Bay du Nord is a $6.8 billion project that involves the construction of a new drilling platform 500 km east of Newfoundland by the Norwegian company Equinor.

A lawsuit against the Minister of Environment and Climate Change was filed in Federal Court on May 6 by the organization Ecojustice, which challenges the government's decision to approve the Bay du Nord project.

Ecojustice is acting on behalf of Équiterre and the Sierra Club Foundation, two environmental organizations that claim the Bay du Nord project violates Canada's international obligations.

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