“Young person” with “frail shoulders”: Robert Poëti attacks an environmental expert

Former politician and current President and CEO of the Corporation of Quebec Automobile Dealers (CCAQ) Robert Poëti attacked an environmental expert from Équiterre on 98.5, accusing the organization of doing rely on “a young person” with “frail shoulders” its recent anti-SUV advertising campaign.

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Called by host Nathalie Normandeau to react to an anti-SUV advertising campaign by the organization Équiterre launched Monday morning, Mr. Poëti attacked the representative of the organization, Andréanne Brazeau, who was at the microphone just before him, and its director Coleen Thorpe.

“M^me Brazeau rests on his frail shoulders all the orientations of his director general M^me Coleen Thorpe, M.^me Bergeron [Marilène, gestionnaire de projet mobilité]of its board of directors”, launched the former liberal deputy.

“They send this young person who, obviously, has a background that goes with his age, who doesn’t know the story, who hasn’t been informed over the years, who has a vision for the length of his nose and there it starts to go really too far.

M^me Brazeau holds a baccalaureate in international studies, a specialized graduate diploma in environmental management obtained with honors and is completing a master’s degree in applied political studies, environmental path, this year. After a stint at ENvironnement JEUnesse, she was an environmental consultant, a research assistant for the UNESCO-PREV chair at the University of Sherbrooke and a public policy consultant, among others. She has been with Équiterre for two years where she currently holds the position of policy analyst in sustainable mobility.

She was at the microphone The Normandeau effect Monday morning to champion the “No SUV for Me” campaign.

“We want to communicate the real consequences of the proliferation of large vehicles on our roads, she explained. We base ourselves on the science which shows us that there is a problem. GHG emissions in transportation continue to increase because of this trend, and given that the automotive industry takes up a very large place in the media, we are trying to counterbalance it.

The electrification of transport

Mr. Poëti had particularly long to say on the issue of electric SUVs, saying that Équiterre opposes it.

“It is 100% zero greenhouse gases, a [VUS] electricity, but they are against it,” he said.

In reality, electric cars are not zero GHGs since their production induces them. A mid-size electric car needs to have traveled 85,000 km before it is on par, in terms of emissions, with a gasoline-powered car of similar size.

“When you have a big thing [comme un VUS], there are a lot of resources that are put into it to be able to produce it. The number of kilometers that you have to drive with electricity before having reached the same share as a small gasoline vehicle, it must be quite astronomical”, had estimated the expert in sustainable mobility and professor at the University. Laval Dominic Villeneuve in an interview given last month on the arrival of the electric Hummer.

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Mr. Poëti then attacked the director of Équiterre, Coleen Thorpe.

“M^me Thorpe, in my first meeting with her, told me quite candidly: my spouse has a large vehicle because he finds it practical. I would like him to get rid of it, ”he said before the host invited him not to personalize the debate.

“But I have to,” he replied, “because these people are attacking us on a personal basis.”

Between 1990 and 2018, the number of SUVs on the roads of Quebec jumped by 306%. Their greenhouse gas emissions increased by 161% during the same period.