Élimination des subventions au Canada : le rôle du Québec dans l’atteinte de l’objectif fédéral

The document examines the fossil fuel subsidies provided by the province of Quebec, which primarily take the form of fuel tax relief. It argues that these subsidies act as a 'negative carbon price' that undermines Quebec's own greenhouse gas reduction targets and Canada's international commitments. The author identifies several key tax exemptions for aviation, rail, and regional consumers, and suggests mitigation strategies to support vulnerable sectors during a transition to cleaner energy.

• Canada committed in May 2016, as a G7 member, to eliminate its fossil fuel subsidies by 2025, a goal that requires close collaboration with provinces since they provide the majority of such subsidies.
• At the federal level, Canada provides approximately 3.3 billion Canadian dollars annually in production subsidies for fossil fuels.
• Quebec's consumption subsidies were estimated at approximately 270 million Canadian dollars in 2015, primarily consisting of reductions in the provincial fuel tax.
• The largest fiscal expenditure for fossil fuels in Quebec is the fuel tax reduction for aircraft and rail locomotives, which rose from 68 million Canadian dollars in 2006 to nearly 100 million Canadian dollars in 2015.
• Quebec provides fuel tax reductions in specific regions, particularly those bordering New Brunswick, Ontario, and the United States, to prevent consumers from fueling outside the province; this cost was 88 million Canadian dollars in 2015.
• Other significant consumption subsidies in Quebec include approximately 40 million Canadian dollars for agricultural, forestry, and mining companies, and 28 million Canadian dollars for public transit fuel reimbursements in 2015.
• Fossil fuel subsidies act as a negative carbon price that hinders the development of low-carbon technologies and contradicts Quebec's targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% below 1990 levels by 2020 and 37.5% by 2030.

APA

Gagnon-Lebrun, F., & Touchette, Y. (2016). Élimination des subventions au Canada : le rôle du Québec dans l’atteinte de l’objectif fédéral. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/meeting-canada-subsidy-phase-out-goal-quebec-fr.pdf

Chicago

Gagnon-Lebrun, Frédéric, and Yanick Touchette. Élimination des subventions au Canada : le rôle du Québec dans l’atteinte de l’objectif fédéral. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2016. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/meeting-canada-subsidy-phase-out-goal-quebec-fr.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Gagnon-Lebrun |first1=Frédéric |last2=Touchette |first2=Yanick |title=Élimination des subventions au Canada : le rôle du Québec dans l’atteinte de l’objectif fédéral |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=November 2016 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/meeting-canada-subsidy-phase-out-goal-quebec-fr.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gagnonlebrun2016limination, author = {Gagnon-Lebrun, Frédéric and Touchette, Yanick}, title = {{Élimination des subventions au Canada : le rôle du Québec dans l’atteinte de l’objectif fédéral}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2016}, month = nov, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/meeting-canada-subsidy-phase-out-goal-quebec-fr.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }