Good afternoon.
Ladies and gentlemen of the committee, today I am going to tell you about Sacré‑Coeur, of course. Our municipality was built on forestry and has survived on forestry since it was founded. The people of our municipality have forestry in their DNA. Sacré‑Coeur is part of the La Haute‑Côte‑Nord municipality, which is considered one of the most devitalized in Quebec.
For 40 years, Boisaco has been the economic driver of our village and the entire region. The job losses in the wake of the plant closure would affect nearly 70% of our population, not to mention the impact on the entire region. It is nearly impossible to anticipate or foresee all the devastating consequences of the federal government's current disastrous decision. Can you imagine an entire population waking up one morning completely uncertain about the future? People are calling this a disaster for our municipality. What will become of our families? What will become of our children? What will be the psychological consequences?
For decades, the community of Sacré‑Coeur has used initiative, co-operation, dynamism and solidarity to ensure its development and that is what we are doing again today to show you our commitment to a community that believes in its development and relies and will continue to rely on the forestry industry.
Our young and not so young people have invested in a promising future, taking an educational path that would ensure this future that they believed in. To that end, they registered either at a professional training centre to take forestry harvesting courses, or at the CEGEP to become forestry technicians, for example, or at the university to become professional foresters. For each of these journeys, these jobs are just one example of the opportunities. All of that training is going to be swept away. More than 600 workers believed and still believe in the sustainable development of our forests, and the animal ecosystem and the forestry sector cohabitating through concerted efforts by various stakeholders.
For our municipality, the Boisaco group is an important player. It contributes to our economic, cultural, tourism and social development through significant investment in the community, whether for our municipality, for various not‑for‑profit organizations or even for the surrounding municipalities.
How can a government believe in the survival of some 225 caribou, according to the proposed order, without worrying about the survival of a village, our village, our entire community? Has Mr. Guilbeault given any serious thought to the proposed solution? Has he thought about the consequences this order will have on our populations?
I have a flyer with me today that you can consult to get a better understanding of our community. It is certainly not the most recent, but it shows how dynamic our community is and how much its development means to its residents. Sacré‑Coeur is what it is today because of the forestry industry's presence back home since 1870.
Thank you.