Grondin ‘preferred to align herself’ with her party’s positions, PLQ MNA said
Mille-Îles Liberal MNA Virginie Dufour is taking issue with her National Assembly CAQ colleague from Argenteuil Agnès Grondin’s failure to support a petition submitted by some of Dufour’s constituents who are asking the government to support development of rail transport.
“Last week in the National Assembly, I had the opportunity to participate in a work session whose purpose was to persuade elected officials with the CAQ to examine a petition, begun by a citizen of my riding, which requested that the government consider a strategy for the development of railway corridors for the transportation of goods and person,” said Dufour, who is the Liberal Party of Quebec’s official spokesperson on environment and climate change issues.
More rail transport
Since it is estimated that the distance travelled by a corresponding quantity of merchandise by train emits 92 per cent less greenhouse gas on average into the atmosphere, compared to road transport, the petitioners are proposing that a $1.7 billion surplus accumulated in the government’s electrification and climate change fund should be used to plan a transition towards rail transport.
During the working session, according to Dufour, CAQ MNA Grondin, along with her colleagues, opposed the petitioners’ request.
Ditto MRC d’Argenteuil
Dufour noted that in the last few weeks, the MRC d’Argenteuil adopted a resolution making a suggestion very similar to the one in the petition submitted by her constituents.
“Mme Grondin’s opposition is somewhat surprising since she herself, for more than 10 years, was a consultant for environment at the MRC d’Argenteuil,” Dufour said. “Apparently, the CAQ’s MNA preferred to align herself with the positions taken by her party, rather than defend her citizens, the mayors in her riding and maybe also her personal convictions,” she added.
