Good morning.
Mr. Chair, committee members, thank you for inviting me to answer your questions. I'm a full professor of animal ecology. For the past 16 years, I've run a research program that focuses on caribou, their predators and their competitors. I'm a recognized caribou expert in Canada.
An emergency order under the Species at Risk Act constitutes a test of our ability to manage our natural resources soundly and effectively; to protect our biodiversity; to comply with legislation and regulations; and to uphold our moral and ethical commitments on the international stage.
Between 1989 and 2024, 881 scientific articles regarding the woodland caribou subspecies were published in international scientific journals. Of these articles, 454 addressed different aspects of boreal caribou populations. In addition, many master's theses, doctoral dissertations and government reports have been published. This body of scientific work has made the caribou one of the most studied species in the country. On the basis of this work, the experts from the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada—of which I was a member—could assess variations in abundance, survival and recruitment rates and population demographic trajectories. It also helped them to synthesize their knowledge of the threats facing the caribou and, in May 2002, to recommend a threatened species status. This designation remains valid to this day.
Despite the wealth of widely accepted evidence in the scientific community, a number of players in the field are working hard to spread misinformation and scientific denial in the media. This contributes to the social polarization observed in relation to this challenge. Some of these individuals actually appeared before the committee to relay incomplete or incorrect information or even lies about the situation of boreal caribou populations in Quebec, the causes of the decline and possible solutions.
As an expert, I want to warn you about this misinformation campaign. Science knows more than what your committee is being told. Establishing a negotiated way out that benefits caribou and minimizes the socio‑economic impact on forestry communities requires acknowledging the scientific evidence and avoiding shortcuts.
In managed boreal forests, caribou are declining mainly as a result of predation exacerbated by human disturbances. Logging opens up and rejuvenates forests and provides accessible, abundant, rich and digestible food resources. This supports the population growth of alternative prey, such as moose and deer, and, in turn, of caribou predators, such as bears, coyotes and wolves. This response goes hand in hand with an increase in the predators' ability to patrol the area and hunt caribou, as a result of the dense network of logging roads. Forest management plays a key role in the decline. It triggers a series of events that result in high predation pressure. This finding is recognized by the Quebec government in the literature review of the factors involved in the decline of woodland caribou populations in Quebec and mountain caribou in Gaspésie, published in 2021.
For a number of years, various teams of researchers have been documenting the significance of other drivers of decline, including the impact of past and future climate change. Their findings are solid and widely accepted. The impact of logging and logging roads far outweighs the effects of other drivers of decline, including climate change, both in explaining past declines and in modelling future changes. Moreover, science shows that climate change will have a significant impact on forestry employment, even without protection for caribou.
It's important to note the high quality of the data obtained from the monitoring of caribou populations in Quebec. This data supports the arguments of the emergency order by providing a crystal clear picture of habitat conditions and the state of populations. I want to remind you that the experts aren't just in the universities, but also in a number of federal and provincial departments that we work with. I trust the expertise of these biologists and wildlife technicians.
In light of the available knowledge, clearly the measures implemented by the Quebec government for over a decade aren't enough to ensure caribou recovery in the province. I have sat on enough committees to assess these methods. The emergency order is amply justified. The federal government is simply implementing the legislation given the absence of a provincial strategy deemed effective enough to contribute to the species' recovery.
In my opinion, the proposed order could be more ambitious, since it already amounts to a compromise. Only three ranges are targeted, even though an assessment of imminent threats could show the urgency to take action for other populations. The area covered by the order remains limited in relation to the size of the populations' ranges. Certain types of disturbances may be excluded from the order, including critical mineral exploration and mining projects, despite scientific evidence of the mining industry's negative impact. As a result, the order is more of a compromise than a radical protection strategy under a glass dome.
Major changes to caribou habitat management policies are needed. It's necessary to think about how to truly strike a balance between caribou and habitat conservation and sustainable forestry that respects all the roles, species and values of this ecosystem. However, this goal is impossible to achieve without affecting the forestry potential and, by extension, jobs and economic benefits.
I completely understand the concerns of a number of interest groups regarding the implementation of the order. It's important to consider this impact without losing sight of the legal obligation to effectively protect caribou and their habitat.