Three waves of resource nationalism: a history of Quebec’s extractive path dependency

Heralded as a pivotal move toward a low-carbon economy, Quebec’s sustainable mobility plan requires extensive mining projects and the construction of new hydroelectric dams, raising concerns about the feasibility and sustainability of the plan. This article employs a historical lens, examining Quebec’s economic model and hydroelectric infrastructure since the 1960s, to critically examine how green energy policies align with the province’s extractivism. Quebec’s green transition enhances the province’s resource nationalism, seen in three successive waves: nationalizing energy, liberalizing energy, and ‘greening’ energy. With every successive wave, resource nationalism entrenches its dependence on the growth of energy production. Quebec’s case study demonstrates that sustainable policies are rooted in a fundamental drive to growth and state-building, rather than a shift to a low-carbon economy.