2024-01-09 02:32:29
Hydro-Québec employee unions launched an campaign on Monday to share their fears of a possible privatization of the state-owned company. Their goal is to launch a discussion with the Quebec population.
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“Hydro-Québec: it’s developing the economy while financing our public services,” says a man to the camera in the ad.
“For us or for our children, it is to keep electricity prices among the lowest in the world,” a woman then adds.
“For us, these are energy projects that respect our values,” continues another man.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) fears that the future assets of the state corporation could be entrusted to the private sector, while Hydro-Québec must double its electricity production by 2050.
“There is private sector in wind power, there is also private sector in certain aluminum smelters, that said, we think that there is enough. He should not have more, he should have less,” expresses Pierre-Guy Sylvestre, economist and CUPE representative.
“Let’s put our energies in the right place”
The campaign entitled “Our energies to us” expresses the union’s concerns regarding an increase in prices, but also a loss of expertise with all the electrical development projects to come.
“We also think that contracts with wind electricity production companies are perhaps not effective enough for Hydro-Québec and for all citizens,” adds Mr. Sylvestre. This means that we are forced to buy more expensive electricity given the structure of the contract.”
Capture taken from the CUPE website | “Let’s put our energies in the right place”
The advertisement therefore asks Quebecers whether they wish to maintain their control over electricity production in the province.
The union representative insists on this idea of opening “a public conversation because Hydro-Québec has billions in assets, billions in revenue.”
“We think it belongs to us [aux Québécois]and future electricity production should be ours too.”
However, the new president and CEO of Hydro-Québec, Michael Sabia, affirmed last November that he was against this idea of privatizing the state-owned company.
“I am… completely… uncomfortable with the idea of denationalizing a public institution of this importance for the future of Quebec,” he said in a parliamentary committee at the National Assembly.
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