Transforming environmental goals into legislation

The Department of Political Science presents a conversation with Philippe Bourke, president of the Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement.

Bourke will be in discussion with David Heurtel, public administration scholar in residence in the Department of Political Science, former Quebec minister for immigration, diversity and inclusiveness from 2017 to 2018, and former Quebec minister for sustainable development, the environment and the fight against climate change from 2014 to 2017. Heurtel is currently a counsel at Fasken.

About Philippe Bourke

Passionate about environmental issues, land use planning, climate changes and sustainable development, Philippe Bourke served as executive director of the Regroupement national des conseils régionaux de l'environnement du Québec from 1997 to 2017.

Bourque was also vice-president of the Fonds d'action québécois pour le développement durable from 2010 to 2016 and president in 2017, as well as a member of the Territoires innovants en économie sociale et solidaire’s board of directors from 2016 to 2017. 

Starting in 2014, he served three years as an expert on the Comité-conseil sur les changements climatiques, a multidisciplinary committee responsible for advising the minister of sustainable development, the environment and the fight against climate change, on a multitude of issues related to the fight against climate change.

Most recently, in 2017, Bourke served as vice-president of strategic development and public affairs for Réseau Environnement.

On November 20, 2017, following a new selection process reviewed in the context of the modernization of the Environment Quality Act, Bourke was appointed as president of the Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement.

Bourke is a biologist and holds a master's degree in environmental sciences from the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières.