About the Ministère

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• Mandates
• Clientele and partners

Mandates

The Ministère’s main mandates are to:

• Develop policies, strategies, programs, bills and regulations in its areas of competence and implement them once adopted;
• Produce and disseminate relevant or interesting information in each of its fields of activity, for the benefit of citizens;
• Provide government leadership and coordination for Québec’s climate and energy transition;
• Coordinate the government’s approach to sustainable development within the public service;
• Protect Québec’s ecosystems and biodiversity, notably through the development of a network of protected areas and safeguarding for threatened or vulnerable plant and wildlife species and their habitats;
• Plan and develop Québec’s network of national parks and oversee their management;
• Promote the growth and development of the wildlife industry and manage fishing, hunting and trapping rights and licences;
• Carry out environmental assessments of major projects and strategic assessments of environmental issues;
• Verify the environmental acceptability of authorization applications, within the legal and regulatory framework in force, and, where applicable, issue related authorizations and permits;
• Ensure compliance with environmental legislation, by verifying the compliance of activities likely to cause damage to the environment and, where necessary, by implementing preventive, protective and remedial measures, inspections and investigations and administrative appeals;
• Ensure compliance and sustainability of wildlife activities and the protection of biodiversity by enforcing laws and regulations through surveillance activities and investigations leading, in particular, to statements of offence, searches and the dismantling of poaching networks;
• Educate the public and raise awareness of the various issues related to its areas of expertise;
• Operate the public dams entrusted to it and ensure their functionality, safety and long-term viability;
• Increase the safety of dams in Québec to protect people and property against the risks associated with the presence of these structures;
• Ensure the development of intergovernmental and international relations in its areas of interest.

Other services include accreditation of environmental analysis laboratories, handling complaints, SOS Poaching – Wildlife Emergency and Urgence-Environnement.

To finance certain activities, the Ministère manages four special funds: the Fonds bleu, the Fonds de protection de l’environnement et du domaine hydrique de l’État, the Fonds d’électrification et de changements climatiques and the Fonds des ressources naturelles – volet conservation et mise en valeur de la faune.

Clientele and partners

The Ministère’s clientele consists mainly of citizens, businesses, municipalities and organizations. More specifically, the Ministère collaborates with all government entities and maintains relations with municipalities, industrial and agricultural communities, environmental and conservation organizations, universities and research centres at regional and national levels. The Ministère also maintains a privileged relationship with First Nations and Inuit nations, communities and organizations.

The Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement (BAPE), the Fondation de la faune du Québec and the Société québécoise de récupération et de recyclage (RECYC-QUÉBEC) are also privileged partners of the Ministère, and are under the responsibility of the Minister of the Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife, and Park.

Finally, the Ministère has delegates for certain services under its responsibility, with whom it maintains close links.