Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Ladies and gentlemen members of the committee, I'd like to say hello, and thank you for this opportunity to meet with you.
I am a biologist and forest engineer, and also a professor of integrated forest management at Université Laval. I'm a member of the Équipe de rétablissement du caribou forestier du Québec, where I represent Nature Québec. I was also a member of the now-defunct Table nationale des partenaires, whose mandate was to implement Quebec's action plan for boreal caribou.
It is in this capacity that I would like to make two recommendations. One concerns the Charlevoix caribou herd, the other the Pipmuacan herd. Both are herds I know well.
In the case of the Charlevoix caribou, I ardently recommend that the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Mr. Guilbault, not include the Charlevoix caribou in his emergency order. I make this recommendation because Quebec has just tabled a project that fully addresses the minister's concerns about imminent threats to the survival of this population.
Because of the particular history of the Charlevoix caribou, a strategy to restore its habitat has been implemented for 15 years. This has been done in consultation with all stakeholders in the region, including the Huron-Wendat Nation and the forestry industry. In 2008, major economic repercussions were felt by the region. Charlevoix's forestry potential was cut by 35%. I repeat, 35%. In 2022, this strategy was improved and presented again by the Independent Commission on Woodland and Mountain Caribou. Once again, it received the unanimous support of the region's stakeholders. The pilot project, tabled last May by the Quebec Ministry of the Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks, along with a draft regulation, finalizes this long regional process.
Unfortunately, the Canadian government's emergency order completely disregards these 15 years of efforts in Charlevoix. The order shifts conservation efforts completely westward, to the regional county municipality of Portneuf. In its present form, the order will impose a second wave of forestry cutbacks on the region, for unclear and questionable gains for the caribou.
On this basis, the wisest decision would be to let the Quebec pilot project come to fruition. Such a decision would demonstrate that Minister Guilbault is sincere when he says he intends to collaborate with the Quebec government.
The case of the Pipmuacan caribou is quite different. We know that, since 2021, certain high-ranking authorities at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests of Quebec have been blocking any transparent dialogue aimed at finding measures to mitigate the economic impact of the Pipmuacan caribou plan. In fact, in 2021, they let the national table of partners die. What's more, contrary to what was set out in the government's 2016 action plan, optimization measures to establish a balanced conservation plan were not presented to the public. For example, the systematic examination of alternative wood supply sources for the affected mills has not been done. Yet forestry workers' unions have been calling for some time for a form of impact mutualization through the introduction of a compensation system between mills.
Unfortunately, the population of Sacré‑Coeur, the Innu communities and the Pipmuacan caribou are being held hostage by Quebec's refusal to seek economic impact mitigation measures. The Quebec government has not made efforts to find a balanced solution, and there is no indication that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests intends to do so. Some may be hoping that, in the face of Sacré‑Coeur's predicted economic tragedy, all efforts to conserve the Pipmuacan caribou habitat will be abandoned.
So, what can be done? One solution would be to set up an independent technical commission with a mandate to conduct a detailed analysis of all alternative options for mitigating the drop in supply to the affected mills, and to report back to the public. To this end, I appeal to the governments of Quebec and Canada.
Thank you.