Good afternoon, everyone.
My name is Gilbert Dominique, and I'm Chief of the Pekuakamiulnuatsh First Nation.
Our traditional territory, which we call Nitassinan in our language, covers an area of just over 112,000 square kilometres, including the entire watershed of the Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean region. Three caribou populations have been identified in our traditional territory: Charlevoix, Témiscamie and Pipmuacan. We hold Aboriginal rights and title to Nitassinan, where the current allowable cut is approximately 7 million cubic metres. We are therefore deeply affected by the whole logging issue.
We wish to share our concerns regarding the protection of caribou in Quebec. Immediate and urgent action is the only way to restore the balance that must exist to protect the atiku, i.e., the caribou, and its habitat. You have a legal obligation to act, and our First Nation intends to pursue the necessary steps to ensure that this matter is dealt with swiftly and with all due seriousness.
Quebec has never, other than through lip service, demonstrated its interest in protecting the caribou. We believe that firm, serious and immediate measures are required pending the implementation of the Quebec strategy.
The caribou is intimately linked to the occupation and use of the Nitassinan territory by the members of my First Nation. It is the basis of our culture and way of life. It has sustained us for centuries. The gradual decline in populations has a direct impact on the preservation of our culture and the practice of ilnu-aitun, our traditional activities.
In 2003, we were collectively forced to stop hunting caribou. The effects go far beyond the simple harvest for food. It has consequences for the very transmission of knowledge and our language, shashish nelueun, which are part of our distinctive culture and are also on the brink of extinction, alongside this species. If the caribou and its habitat were to disappear despite this effort by our First Nation, part of the Pekuakamiulnuatsh identity would disappear with them.
I hereby call upon the representatives of the Canadian government to take the appropriate measures to ensure that the protection of woodland caribou is fully respected at all levels of government. I also invite the Committee to consider the Quebec Superior Court ruling on the failure to consult on the atiku protection strategy. This judgment was handed down on June 21, following an action brought by our First Nation and the community of Essipit. Although not related to the draft decree, it deals with the same pressing issue: the protection of the caribou. The decision and decree are also the consequence of the Quebec government's inaction. In her decision, Justice Marie Cossette stated:
Not only has their right to consultation been violated, but meanwhile, the situation of the caribou continues to deteriorate, and the government is still unable to tell the Court when the proposed protection strategy will be disclosed. As a result, their ancestral rights and title are under even greater threat, given the central role played by the caribou, whose condition continues to decline.
Quebec's attitude to the caribou issue is dishonourable and irresponsible towards future generations. A responsible government must seek a balance between protecting the territory, its fauna and flora, and, of course, socio-economic development.
Given the reality on the ground, it must be concluded that reducing allowable cut is inevitable. We believe that reducing allowable cut can be viable by focusing more on tertiary processing and innovation. Protecting the atiku does not have to be synonymous with killing economic development and jobs in our regions. We are sensitive to the economic realities of the forestry sector. However, we must cease being in denial and recognize the true situation through an objective and scientific lens.
As highlighted in the report of the Independent Commission on Woodland and Mountain Caribou, the problems experienced by the atiku indicate that Quebec has gone too far in harvesting the forest resource and that it is important to review forest management so that it is truly sustainable, while ensuring the protection of biodiversity.
In that sense, the governments of Quebec and Canada have a duty to propose measures to mitigate the impact on forest communities and to help them through this inevitable transition.
Our teams are currently analyzing the decree in connection with the ongoing consultation. We can already see that the Témiscamie herd is not covered by the decree, which is of great concern to us, since it is in a vulnerable state and also at risk of disappearing, particularly south of the northern boundary.
We are also prepared to forward any documents that might be relevant and help you make your decision.
Finally, faced with this situation, you are obliged to act, in compliance with the Species at Risk Act, by implementing the adoption of an emergency decree, particularly in the Nitassinan territory, to protect the caribou from current threats to its survival. We demand it—