Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Committee members, thank you for this opportunity to speak today on behalf of Ripco. As president of Ripco, I want to share my serious concerns about the federal government's plan to pass an order to protect boreal caribou. The steps taken by the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault, in June sparked fear among our workers and residents. This type of order would have a devastating and irreversible impact on our company and our community.
Founded in 2001, Ripco Inc. is an affiliate of Groupe Boisaco. It operates on the Sacré‑Coeur industrial site. It works in partnership with Litière Royal, based in Quebec City. Your committee also heard from representatives of that company. We specialize in manufacturing and marketing equestrian litter, which comes from the shavings generated by Boisaco's plants. The plant is now state‑of‑the‑art after our major investments over the past three years. Ripco brings together eight workers and their families, who depend on its survival to make a decent living. Like all Groupe Boisaco companies, Ripco is based on a unique co‑operative model. This model is recognized in our industry and throughout Quebec. It was also born of Groupe Boisaco's desire to diversify its activities by using waste from sawmills and planing mills to create new products. As a result, Ripco supplies exceptional products across Canada and the United States, generating significant direct benefits in our community. However, our activities depend on Boisaco's ability to supply our raw material, which is wood shavings.
You must understand that, if Mr. Guilbault's order were implemented, it wouldn't just affect Boisaco, but all the companies that depend on the waste produced by Boisaco's sawmills and planing mills. This includes include Ripco. Regarding the proposed federal order, the militant actions of the environment minister are driving us ever closer to a dead end. These actions create polarization and escalate a debate that must be cooled down in order to find fair and equitable solutions. They also conflict with the Quebec government's efforts to promote a phased approach adapted to the realities of each region concerned.
Since I started out as a forestry worker, in 1998, I've seen the development of the various measures put in place to protect the caribou. To date, thousands of hectares of forest have been left untouched to protect the caribou. Some stakeholders feel that these still‑standing forests seem invisible. However, they still exist, even though some of them have been heavily affected by the spruce budworm epidemic and are also highly vulnerable to the all‑too‑common forest fires.
As a resident of Sacré‑Coeur, I take its vitality to heart. Like a number of my friends and colleagues, I volunteer with various non‑profit organizations dedicated to providing quality services to our community. For over 11 years, I've been the president of the ZEC Chauvin, a controlled harvesting zone just outside Sacré‑Coeur. I can assure you that, without the forestry operations carried out in our ZEC, we wouldn't be able to provide the quality of experience enjoyed by over 500 members from across Quebec. In our ZEC, as in the other ZECs of the Haute‑Côte‑Nord and Saguenay regions, Boisaco's forestry operations have greatly helped to maintain and improve the road networks that play a vital role in forest activities and firefighting. The organizations are fortunate to be able to benefit from these major investments and to ensure that their members can continue to access their services at an affordable price.
I'll close with this thought. What type of society do we want in Canada? Do we want a society where we agree to sacrifice 2,000 families, thereby violating their basic right to a dignified life, or a society where decisions take into account the social, economic and environmental spheres—the three pillars of sustainable development? I dare to hope that the second option will lead us to fair and enlightened decisions that ensure the development of biodiversity and human communities.