Who is Jacques Lalonde?

In the annals of environmental calamities, it doesn’t quite have the same ring as a Hummer. According to environmentalists, though, the humble and handy plastic bag wreaks havoc: plastic bags are made from oil, and they choke both landfills and wildlife. Now, thanks to the efforts of Jacques Lalonde, a Montreal translator and self-described "ecological volunteer", Quebecers may soon have to shoulder the environmental impact—with their wallets.
    In 2005, Lalonde saw PQ MNA Stephan Tremblay on television trumpeting the benefits of a tax on each of the estimated 1.5 billion plastic bags used by Quebecers every year. Inspired, he started an online petition; five months later, he’d collected some 50,000 signatures urging the government to consider the program. Liberal Environment Minister Line Beauchamp has indicated she is weighing the idea.
    "We aren’t getting the results we want with reusable bags", said Lalonde of the suddenly chic canvas totes on sale at most grocery chains—of which some four million have been sold in the province. "We have to go for more coercive measures". Under his plan, plastic bags would cost 20 cents each. "It would get immediate results", be says, pointing at a similar project in Ireland that saw a 90 percent reduction in plastic bag use. Several U.S. cities are looking to tax the polyethylene menace.
    The issue and Lalonde’s petition has the plastic industry in a tizzy. "No one will refuse to sign something about the environment", says former Canadian Plastic Industry Association president Denis Cloutier. Nevertheless, "the answer is recycling the bags, and the challenge is to get people bringing them back to the store". For now, the tax remains under review, but should the province follow the Irish model, Quebecers will have to get used to paying for plastic. Since 2002, Ireland has collected 50 million euros in levies. Needless to say, there are no plans to repeal the program.