Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
First of all, I would like to thank the committee for allowing us to speak about the federal emergency order for the protection of boreal caribou.
My name is Caroline Lavoie, and I'm a forest engineer. Today, I am speaking on behalf of Scierie Martel, as well as Scieries Lac‑Saint‑Jean and Groupe Lignarex, both members of the Coopérative forestière Ferland‑Boilleau.
Our businesses are all unique in that they have been established in Saguenay—Lac‑Saint‑Jean by local families or groups of workers. These pioneers have been busy developing not only their businesses, but also their communities. They have revitalized their communities, making it possible for hundreds of families to settle and live in the regions. As the saying goes, you have to know where you came from in order to know where you're going. I will try to make sure that we do not forget where we came from.
The forestry industry has helped build a strong, thriving Quebec. It also provides considerable revenue to the government so that it can develop and maintain its social programs. The forestry industry is far from archaic. We've been able to adapt, modernize, optimize resource usage and become a major player in achieving Canada's net-zero objective.
The forestry sector also markets wood products that are among the most environmentally friendly in the world and will eventually make it possible to eliminate single-use plastics and avoid the use of substitute products with a larger carbon footprint. Besides all that, these products come from areas certified under internationally recognized sustainable forest management standards.
The forestry industry is a prime example of sustainable development. We're harvesting trees from forests that have already been harvested once, and sometimes twice. We're talking about green aluminum and green steel. How could anyone forget that nothing is greener than the forest?
Mr. Gilbert, Mr. St‑Gelais and Mr. Verreault have told you about the provisional order areas of Pipmuacan and Val‑d'Or. I will focus on the provisional order area of Charlevoix, because it affects a lot of the territory where we have traditionally operated. Keep in mind that the Charlevoix herd disappeared in 1920, and 82 individuals were reintroduced in the early 1970s. In February 2022, the 21 individuals who made up the herd at the time were captured and penned. Today, the herd is made up of 31 animals. The provisional order area covered by the Charlevoix herd covers nearly 3,000 square kilometres, plus adjacent protected areas of 1,608 square kilometres, for a total of 4,608 square kilometres. That is the equivalent of 12 times the Island of Montreal. Might I remind you that there are now 31 individuals, which would correspond to a density of approximately 0.8 caribou in all of Montreal.
We are not refuting the need to protect caribou in Quebec, far from it. Since 2003, the provincial government, in partnership with industry, first nations, and other stakeholders, has made efforts to ensure their recovery. I myself have participated in all the processes that the government has proposed to us as we work with the first nations to develop a planning strategy for the protection of the caribou habitat that maintains the sustainable development balance.
Section 80 of the Species at Risk Act allows for an emergency order to be issued if the minister believes there are imminent threats to the species. We feel that the Charlevoix herd does not meet the criteria for imposing such a decree. There are two reasons for that: first, equivalent or even superior measures are currently proposed in the pilot project tabled on April 30 by Quebec City; second, the penning of the herd's 31 individuals immediately removes them from any imminent threat. For these reasons, we believe it would be legitimate for the federal government to amend its order to completely remove the provisional area within the Charlevois boreal caribou range.
Implementing the order in its entirety would remove nearly 17% of our companies' supply territory, which would irrevocably result in permanent closures and estimated losses of nearly 1,500 jobs, including mine.
I will conclude my remarks by making two requests of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development. I ask you to remember where we come from and to consider the true value of the forestry industry so that it can continue its immeasurable contribution to the three pillars of sustainable development in Quebec. I would also ask you to trust the provincial government, which has jurisdiction over wildlife and forest management, to develop appropriate strategies to protect both the boreal caribou and the forestry industry.
Thank you.