The announcement of the adoption of an emergency decree relating to the protection of woodland caribou herds by the Minister of the Environment Steven Guilbeault caused a strong reaction from the various regional actors involved in this issue.
After threatening several times to intervene if no plan was submitted, the federal government has decided to take decisive and final action. While some find this decision too hasty, others see it as necessary action.
Bloc Québécois MPs for the region, Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe and Mario Simard, denounce this way of doing things, which according to them completely transgresses the autonomy of Quebec and its areas of jurisdiction.
“What is needed is a solid plan to protect both the caribou and the forestry industry jobs that provide the livelihoods of many families in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean. The stakeholders we met all agree that we need to intervene. However, we won’t get there by imposing a decree on Quebec and ignoring stakeholders in the sector, as the federal government wants to do,” added Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, MNA for Lac-Saint-Jean.
Precipitate
According to the Boreal Forest Alliance (AFB), the imposition of measures with this emergency decree is hasty. The provincial government is carrying out consultations in the regions concerned on pilot projects to protect the habitat of forest and mountain caribou, particularly in Gaspésie and Charlevoix. Interim measures for the protection of herds in the boreal environment are also maintained.
“Quebec has one of the most rigorous forest management systems that respects biodiversity, notably with a network of protected areas which already covers 17% of its territory. The range of woodland caribou is 75% north of the northern limit of attributable forests where there is no forestry activity. The federal government must think about the catastrophic socio-economic consequences that the imposition of these measures will have in our forest communities,” says Yanick Baillargeon, president of the AFB.
La FQM s’insurge
For its part, the Fédération québécoise des municipalities denounces the timing chosen to launch the decree process and requests the postponement of the deadline for this consultation so that all stakeholders concerned can take part.
« It is unacceptable to carry out a consultation on such an important subject for our regions during the summer period when the majority of citizens and key stakeholders are on leave. This decree, if adopted without adequate consultation, could have severe economic repercussions on our forestry industry, a cornerstone of the regional economy,” declared Jacques Demers, president of the FQM.
First Nations
The Council of the Innu Essipit and Pekuakamiulnuatsh Takuhikan First Nation welcomed the government’s decision, describing the announcement of the possible decree as an important step in the protection of woodland caribou.
According to Innu band chiefs Martin Dufour and Gilbert Dominique, immediate and urgent actions are necessary to ensure the protection of the species and its habitat.
“For us, it is satisfactory to see that the Federal Minister of the Environment shares the same vision of the situation and recommends the adoption of an emergency decree to protect Atiku, a fundamental species from the cultural point of view for our communities,” declare the two leaders in a press release.
