Description that the Delegate General of Quebec in New York readily accepts.
“It’s kind of how I feel and I hope I won’t stop, even though I won’t be at One Rockefeller Center anymore,” she says during an interview at the top of the skyscraper. -ciel where the offices of the Quebec delegation are located in New York.
Taking stock of a mandate which she will end a few months earlier than expected for personal reasons, the 49-year-old Quebecer says she is “really very satisfied”.
“I have the feeling of a duty accomplished,” she adds.
At the top of his personal record: the hydroelectricity file in New York and the lifting of tariffs on Canadian aluminum, to which must be added the exceeding of the objectives set for the general delegates of Quebec by Premier Legault and the minister responsible , Nadine Girault, in terms of export support and investment attraction.
I am very proud of the quality of the relationships we have built to move the hydroelectricity file forward.
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Catherine Loubier
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“When I first came here, ‘the word on the street’ was that you wouldn’t sell electricity in New York in the long term. We forget that. It is true that the task was important. ”
According to the delegate general, it was necessary to convert New Yorkers and Americans who did not want energy from a foreign country, who did not see hydropower as green energy or who were concerned about processing. First Nations.
“These issues, we no longer hear them. But it took more than 300 meetings on just these subjects with NGOs, the private sector and the various levels of government. ”
“When we light a fire …”
Hydro-Québec submitted its offer last May to supply New York City with up to 10.4 terawatt-hours (TWh) over 25 years, or about one-fifth of the consumption of the American metropolis. The crown corporation could thus achieve its biggest export blow. According to Catherine Loubier, the New York authorities should announce their decision between July and September, “if there is no delay”.
“But I don’t mean to be late,” she said. On the contrary, I think people are in a hurry to move forward to achieve the goals set by the governor. [de New York, Andrew Cuomo] in its new climate law. ”
Speaking of her role in advancing the hydroelectricity file, Catherine Loubier drops this sentence: “I went to certain places, in front of certain people, who had not seen us for a long time. ”
This approach served the Delegate General in her battle to force the Trump administration to abandon its tariffs on Canadian aluminum, the main producers of which are in Quebec. Armed with data provided by the Canadian Embassy in Washington, she notably won Kentucky to her cause by explaining to its leaders the effect of tariffs on businesses in their state.
When we light a fire like that, they remind us and understand that tariffs are a lose-lose.
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Catherine Loubier
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Catherine Loubier mentions that her CV has also contributed to the quality of her relations with decision-makers in New York, Washington and elsewhere in the United States. After having been for 10 years senior advisor to former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, she worked alongside Carlos Ghosn, former CEO of the Renault-Nissan alliance, and led the transition of the Legault government.
“I also think I have some credibility because of my background,” she said after discussing the targets that were exceeded in influential diplomacy during her tenure in New York.
But Catherine Loubier is also convinced of having represented Quebec at a time when its image is particularly attractive in the United States.
A message that goes well
“Quebec has a very high quality image in the United States, stability, a very economic message that appeals to people. I would say that in our network of post managers in the United States, we do business. We are political when we need to, we bring out our culture, and that also helps us with our economic objectives. But we are very economical. It’s a message that gets through extremely well. The potential of this positioning of green and economic Quebec is excellent. ”
And Hydro-Québec is not alone in taking advantage of it. With the construction of a new factory for the manufacture of wind towers in the high seas (offshore) in New York State, Marmen is one of Quebec’s green companies storming the United States. Other names in a growing list: FLO⎟ AddÉnergie, which will install 120 electrical terminals over the next few months in New York, and Boralex, which has just made the United States its target market following a change in vision at the White House for renewable energy.
A change of vision that somewhat alleviates fears arising from Joe Biden’s Buy American policy. During his first virtual meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the American President gave his agreement to a “roadmap” which takes into account the potential role of Quebec in the energy transition of the two countries, and in particular in the development of batteries. for emission-free vehicles and renewable energy storage.
“It’s a bit of a bulwark against protectionism,” says Catherine Loubier. “We cannot say on the one hand that we are going to build these things together and on the other that we are going to engage in protectionism. ”
That said, this threat will never disappear, recognizes Catherine Loubier, who will leave office on August 6. “I am sure that I will contribute in another way to the prosperity of Quebec, but I have nothing to reveal for the moment,” she said.
We will not blame him for wanting to breathe a moment after having spent most of his mandate during a pandemic of which New York was one of the epicenters.
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