Quebec Environment Minister Claude Béchard found himself the target of harsh verbal attacks during a debate on the environment held in Montreal.
Wednesday night's forum, organized by Greenpeace and Equiterre, included representatives of the five main parties running in the March 26 provincial election.
All opponents blasted the provincial Liberals' environmental record — in particular, its decision in 2006 to sell part of Mount Orford provincial park to private developers.
At the time, the government said proceeds from the sale of the ski hill and golf course in the Eastern Townships would go toward buying adjoining land, meaning the park would nearly double in size, from 5,200 hectares to 10,000.
The government argued the two operations were losing money and that the proposed condo project to be built on the land would help the local economy.
However, in December, area residents filed a class-action lawsuit to fight the privatization plans, saying the land was paid for by donations from people who believed it would remain as green space.
About 500 people attending Wednesday's debate booed and cheered as Parti Québécois environment critic Stéphane Bergeron scolded the Liberals for "selling to private enterprise one of our provincial parks."
Bergeron accused the government of setting a precedent that could threaten the integrity of other parks.
On a talk show Sunday on the CBC's French-language network, Radio-Canada, PQ Leader André Boisclair said that if he was elected premier, the first thing he would do was reverse the decision to sell the land.
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Internal Links
| Party | Elected | Leading | Total | Vote Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LIB | 48 | 0 | 48 | 33.08% |
| ADQ | 41 | 0 | 41 | 30.80% |
| PQ | 36 | 0 | 36 | 28.32% |
| QS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.65% |
| GRN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.89% |
| OTH | 0 | 0 | 0 | .26% |
| Last Update:March 27, 12:52:21 AM EDT | ||||
Quebec Votes 2007 Headlines »
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