Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I am extremely pleased to be here with you today.
I thank the guests from the first group of witnesses. This is the first meeting on a truly important study on the future of the boreal caribou, which is an ecotype of a subspecies found only in Quebec. I truly thank them. This is an extremely important topic that affects a host of aspects, including regional development and the survival of certain municipalities, as we heard. It is also a matter of good jobs in the forestry sector and the future of our young people.
At the NDP, we are deeply concerned about achieving truly sustainable development that would ensure a future for the young people in the regions concerned, whether Haute‑Côte‑Nord, the Gaspésie or even Charlevoix. What is more, we want to be responsible when it comes to threatened or endangered species. This also applies to subspecies, from what I understand.
We cannot rely on fine speeches and great discussions like the ones we saw in Montreal, when we hosted the entire planet at the United Nations COP15. We need to take an approach that is based on science and facts.
I am pleased to have the chance to hear all these testimonies this afternoon. They illustrate how complex this issue is with all its variable factors. Human or industrial activity is one of the factors that can influence the future of a species or a subspecies, but there are other factors, including climate change, that Mr. Gilbert spoke about. Certain insects and certain disasters can also have consequences.
We want to be able to save our municipalities and our villages and provide good jobs to our young people, but we do not want to be responsible for the disappearance of a globally unique subspecies. Around the world we are seeing the accelerated disappearance of living species. Some scientists are even talking about ecological collapse. Species are not only disappearing, but those that are still around have fewer and fewer individuals. Some say that 60% to 75% of individuals or bird species or land species are disappearing.
We have to find a balance. Sometimes it can be hard to achieve, but it is essential to be able to ensure both aspects, especially as elected members or parliamentarians.
In 2016, the Government of Quebec recognized—