PQ leader Pauline Marois says she is in favour of shale gas development in the province, but not at any cost. (CBC)

The opposition Parti Québécois is demanding an immediate moratorium on drilling and exploration for shale gas in the province.

PQ leader Pauline Marois made the request as she wrapped up a party caucus meeting in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield on Thursday.

Marois said she is in favour of shale gas development in the province, but not at any cost.

A moratorium should remain in effect until the province's environmental assessment board (BAPE) has completed an in-depth report on the issue. She said a mandate given to the BAPE to study the issue should also be expanded to include all the environmental, social and economic aspects of the matter.

"The moratorium should also not be lifted until a law has been adopted putting in place a framework for the exploration and drilling [of shale gas]," said Marois.

Marois is also calling for a national assembly commission to study the province's energy independence.

Natural Resources Minister Nathalie Normandeau rejected Marois' request for a moratorium.

The government has already ordered the BAPE to look into the issue "so that we can in an independent, objective and impartial way, find a better way to create a framework for this industry in Quebec," said Normandeau.

"We aren't rushing into this, our plan was clear," she said.

Former chief of staff's new job raises eyebrows

The PQ also expressed concern about reports that Economic Development Minister Clément Gignac's chief of staff left the government to work as a representative for the shale gas industry in the province.

Newspaper La Presse has reported that Stéphane Gosselin quit his job on Friday to accept a position as director of the Quebec Oil and Gas Association.

The association announced this week that it will launch a public awareness campaign in order to sway public opinion on the issue of shale gas development in the province.

PQ house leader Stéphane Bédard called Gosselin's affiliation with the association "completely unacceptable" on an ethical level.

However, Gosselin told the newspaper that he verified his circumstances with the office of the province's Lobbying Commissioner.

Ministers faced protesters

On Sunday, Environment Minister Pierre Arcand and Natural Resources Minister Nathalie Normandeau were confronted by a small but noisy crowd of protesters in Montreal as they announced that the government would launch an environmental study and public hearings into shale gas drilling.

The government is reviewing potential regulations on exploration for natural gas, and plans to table a bill this spring. Normandeau said there would be no large-scale projects in Quebec before 2014.

Environmental activists and residents living near gas exploration sites have also called for a stop to all current projects, expressing concerns about the potential contamination of groundwater.

Shale gas is being hailed as a greener alternative to oil and coal, and is an increasingly important source of energy in North America. But the growing interest has left governments struggling with how to regulate this newly accessible energy source. In June, the House of Commons supported a motion to initiate a comprehensive review of federal rules on unconventional oil and gas development.

And the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced in March it would take a close look at the environmental and human health impact of shale gas drilling.

With files from The Canadian Press