QUEBEC (CP) - Parti Quebecis Leader Andre Boisclair pledged Saturday that as premier he would impose higher standards for air quality.
Speaking to PQ members in Quebec City, Boisclair said every Quebec citizen should have access to the best air quality possible.
"In regards to the question of air quality, several issues are at stake: public health, urbanization, land-use planning and industrial development," Boisclair told delegates.
The PQ proposal would make public lists of all toxic products found in the air, as well as set new guidelines for materials used in construction.
The new rules would be a more effective in fighting smog, acid rain and toxic emissions, Boisclair said.
"The (existing) Quebec regulations are out of date," Boisclair said. "New regulations were previewed by the government, but they are far from the target."
The PQ leader also defended his decision to keep his party out of a government-led coalition of Quebec groups aimed at getting Ottawa to respect the Kyoto Protocol.
Boisclair said Environment Minister Claude Bechard of lacking the credibility to lead such a coalition.
He called on Bechard to push Ottawa harder for the $328 million the province was promised for environmental programs under Paul Martin's Liberal government.
The weekend meeting of PQ members was being dedicated to green issues and delegates were receiving briefings from several environmental experts.
The head of Greenpeace's Quebec wing, Steven Guilbault, was among those calling for the province to reduce its dependence on petroleum-based products.
