People also received it in advance, which will make things easier. It reads:
That the committee undertake an in-depth study of the means to be taken to adequately protect caribou by avoiding or minimizing the effects on economic activities arising from the forestry sector. That this study focus on identifying: i) the issues that threaten the caribou and the means and measures that could be put forward to protect it; ii) the impact of an emergency decree on lumber and the forestry industry; iii) the socio-economic effects of forest fires on communities; and iv) the role of the forestry sector in achieving carbon neutrality targets. That to this end, the committee hold a minimum of three meetings and that the committee: a) Invite the Minister of the Environment and officials to respond on the subject of the emergency decree and the elements he intends to take into account; b) Invite, in particular and without limitation: environmental experts, companies, unions representing forest workers, representatives of the First Nations concerned, and any other witnesses the Committee deems necessary; and c) Report its findings and recommendations to the House.
The minister postponed the consultations for a month, so we were able to dig to the roots of this motion and to perfect it as best we could. We felt that members could not be heard in the context of Minister Guilbeault's consultations. This motion was therefore the best way to allow members to be heard on this matter, which is being heavily debated right now and concerns the people affected. We felt that this debate, which is central, should take place on the committee, hence the urgency of holding this meeting today.
Basically, this motion takes everything into account. One is that it's a species at risk. I don't think anyone here would want to be a willing participant in the Boreal caribou's extinction. Then, we also have to think about the forestry sector, forest fires, the pulp and paper sector's well-known transition to something else, with all our IT tools, as well as customs tariffs, which are increasing. There's no subsidy for that sector. We have to try to look at the big picture.
I come from the education sector. In our classes, when a lot of students are struggling, we call on special education technicians, or SETs. When they walk into the classroom, the first thing they say to a struggling student is that there's no problem, only solutions, and that they will find them together. That's what the motion proposes. There are solutions to be found, and we want to be part of the debate to find them.