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Quebec open to rekindled GNL Québec gas facility project amid U.S. tariff threats

QUÉBEC — The Quebec government says it would be open to reviving a controversial liquefied natural gas project in the province’s Saguenay region to ship energy from Alberta overseas. Quebec refused to authorize GNL Québec Inc.
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Quebec Environment Minister Benoit Charette delivers remarks on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Oct. 1, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

QUÉBEC — The Quebec government says it would be open to reviving a controversial liquefied natural gas project in the province’s Saguenay region to ship energy from Alberta overseas.

Quebec refused to authorize GNL Québec Inc.'s proposed liquefaction facility and export terminal in 2021 and Ottawa followed suit in 2022, citing environmental concerns.

However, U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on Canadian energy have increased the urgency for Canadian oil and gas producers to seek export markets beyond the United States.

Quebec Environment Minister Benoit Charette said today he is “not closed” to energy projects that meet environmental protection standards.

Earlier this week Quebec Conservative Party Leader Éric Duhaime wrote to Quebec Premier François Legault, calling on the province to relaunch the GNL Québec project.

Duhaime, whose party hold no seats in the legislature, also called for the construction of new oil pipelines in the province.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2025.

Patrice Bergeron, The Canadian Press