Bloc Québécois tells Nova Scotia premier Quebec will not be ‘highway for dirty oil and gas’

Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet speaks to the media Tuesday, October 22, 2019 in Montreal after his party won 32 seats in the federal election. (Ryan Remiorz / The Canadian Press)

Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet sent a letter to the premier of Nova Scotia reiterating his “strong opposition to any project aimed at turning Quebec into a highway for dirty oil and gas from the West.”

Passing an oil pipeline through 830 waterways, including the St. Lawrence River, presents too many risks for the environment, particularly for drinking water, Blanchet said in his letter.

Accepting this would be tantamount to accepting “all the dangers for Quebecers, but none of the benefits,” he added.

Back in February, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston sent Blanchet a letter saying that he found his opposition to transporting energy from Western Canada to the Atlantic provinces “completely unacceptable.”

At the time, Houston invoked the need for national unity and Canada’s energy self-sufficiency facing the U.S. tariff threat.

Houston also proposed a motion calling on the federal government to condemn any political leader who opposes energy infrastructure projects due to the trade war with the United States, which did not pass.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French March 10, 2025.