The trends in Quebec, as in Ontario, also seem mixed. While the recent Quebec referendum on separation from Canada might seem like public participation, a participant in the "No" campaign saw it more as an exercise in "political style, ethnic-nationalism and media relations." In addition, while the PQ government's recent health care reorganization provoked lobbying, huge rallies, and media involvement, it was not a process planned by the proponent and resulted in no changes to the final plan for hospital closings and other actions. And, in an apparent response to pressure for increased economy and efficiency, changes to environmental impact legislation in Quebec shift responsibility for early public involvement from the Quebec Ministry of the Environment and Wildlife to the project proponent; the impact of the change on the amount or effectiveness of public involvement is unclear. However, one respondent observes that competitive pressures are leading the private sector to curtail issues management and public participation programs in order to increase profitability; and the growing gap between rich and poor threatens both people's level of interest in issues and their belief in their ability to change anything. On the other hand, major provincial consultations on health and education have been paralleled by large programs by the Montreal Urban Community on waste management and recycling, and consultative committees have recently been established in Quebec City. In other evidence of interest in the practice, the Quebec Chapter of the International Association for Impact Assessment recently devoted a weekend conference to public participation. One Quebec observer sees more importance given to stakeholders through the greater use of advisory groups; policy stakeholder groups are increasing in number. Open houses are being used less, and though mediation is an option as a technique, the public has not had enough experience with it to trust it over public hearings. Return to Public Participation in Canada
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