An Act respecting the protection of agricultural lands

Quebec's PL 38 amends the Act respecting the protection of agricultural land and agricultural activities (CQLR c. P-41.1), Quebec's foundational zoning protection for farmland under the Commission de protection du territoire agricole du Québec (CPTAQ). The 2024 amendment expands CPTAQ authority to review and reject solar-farm proposals over 10 hectares on designated agricultural land, tightens the dezonage approval criteria for residential subdivisions, and aligns with the CAQ government's 2024 Plan national en agriculture commitment to add 1,200 hectares of newly protected farmland by 2030. Quebec has the most stringent farmland-protection regime in North America; the agricultural zone covers approximately 5 percent of Quebec's total area but contains roughly 95 percent of farmable soil.