Tyrrell spoke of the progress that has recently been made towards the climate—locally and globally—with some Quebec politicians moving towards environmental change. For example, Tyrrell said Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard hasspoken out against hydraulic fracturing on Anticosti Island, which is located in the Gulf of the St. Lawrence. Recently Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre, along with other mayors in the Montreal area, publicly announced they would reject pipelines.

“Although many people might have said that it’s an issue of Quebec vs. the rest of the country—that’s definitely an argument I can definitely and completely disagree with,” Tyrrell said. “The fact of the matter is that there are people who both support and oppose the Energy East pipelines in all provinces.” The city of Vancouver just recently opposed the Trans Mountain pipeline due to environmental threat, he added.

Tyrrell also discussed his distrust in the government’s ability to handle these issues, saying they have often shown support for the extraction of petroleum. If the government moves forward with the support and development of the pipelines, Tyrrell believes this will cost them the next election. “It’s very important for people to apply political pressure if we want to see environmental change,” he said. “At some point people have to protest, people have to hold the government [accountable] and they need to make sure these priorities are being taken seriously.”

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