Evidence of meeting #120 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was forest.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Coordinator, Sales and Transport, Boisaco Inc.
It seems that we aren't being listened to and that our situation isn't being taken into account.
NDP
Alexandre Boulerice NDP Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I find today's testimonies on an extremely complex issue quite compelling. I'm sorry for the fear that communities such as Sacré‑Coeur are currently facing. It must be quite awful. We must address a number of factors as well, including the federal government's obligation regarding species at risk. We can't just ignore the situation and say that we won't do anything. We also can't try to do everything at once. That's the challenge on our side of the fence.
Speaking of fences, Mr. Winfield, from the Canadian Wildlife Service, was talking to us earlier about pens. These pens are used as a temporary measure to protect the three really endangered herds. One of his comments really struck me. We can't release these animals completely into the wild because they have nowhere else to go. Other witnesses have also spoken about this. Mr. Jetté, in terms of land‑use planning and habitat protection or redevelopment that would one day give these animals a place to go, isn't there also some potential for job creation?
Forest Engineer, As an Individual
With a few exceptions, such as forest fires that cause regeneration issues, forests generally regenerate fairly well. The issue is time. It takes a long time. If we don't ease the logging pressure on the caribou habitat, they won't have anywhere to go in the meantime. We can plant trees, and we already do so. However, it isn't the same category of worker.
Forest Engineer, As an Individual
I'm not against the idea. However, in terms of a fair transition plan, it isn't the best approach. It's important to take into account the categories of workers involved. Other mitigation options may be available in the medium term. For example, if we could establish—
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia
Sorry, Mr. Jetté, but I must stop you there. The two and a half minutes are up.
Liberal
Conservative
Richard Martel Conservative Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Dufour, Ms. Dufour and Mr. Dionne, who gave you your passion for forestry? Was it your parents? Why are you so attached to this industry?
Stationary Engineer, Boisaco Inc.
In my case, I've worked in other industries and other regions, including major centres. I left for a few years, but I was attached to my region. I was born here, in Les Bergeronnes. I came back to my natural habitat.
Conservative
Coordinator, Sales and Transport, Boisaco Inc.
My grandfather and father were both part of Samoco, so it was handed down from generation to generation. I still ventured further afield, but my love for the forest and our village was quickly rekindled. You must live in a village to understand how it feels. From Monday to Friday, our neighbours are our colleagues, and on Saturdays, they're our friends. The forest is part of us. We spend the week in the forest. To relax on weekends, we go fishing or off‑roading. It's part of us.
Conservative
Richard Martel Conservative Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC
Thank you.
I'll give the rest of my time to my colleague.
Conservative
Branden Leslie Conservative Portage—Lisgar, MB
Thank you, Mr. Martel.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
To the witnesses, I am obviously not from Quebec, but when I ran for politics last year, the main thing I ran on was protecting our rural way of life. I feel an incredible kinship with our witnesses today, as they are defending their own way of life, it seems to me, while having an “Ottawa knows best” government running roughshod not only over their livelihoods, but over their entire community. I appreciate your very passionate and personal testimony today.
During the conversation with Minister Guilbeault a couple of hours ago, I noticed that in response to MP Chatel, he said that when workers come here to committee, the Conservatives ignore what they say. We are not ignoring you. We hear you.
My colleague Mr. Martel has been doing a fantastic job of defending not only the rights of his riding but also the important work the forestry sector and forestry workers do across Quebec and, in turn, across all of Canada. During his conversation with the mayor of Sacré-Coeur, he asked her what would happen if this order were enacted, and she suggested the region would “become a ghost town.” Minister Guilbeault replied today during our conversation that it was curious, because it was not the message the workers gave him when he met with them.
To close out this meeting, I would like to have Mr. Dufour, Ms. Dufour and Mr. Dionne each give their assessment of the workers' view. Are they terrified that their livelihoods and communities are about to be ruined, or are they in fact okay with this Ottawa imposition and the impact it's going to have on their livelihoods?
I'll start with Mr. Dionne.
Stationary Engineer, Boisaco Inc.
To give you an example, it reminds me of what happened in Lebel‑sur‑Quévillon in 2000. A similar situation could happen.
Worker, Harvesting Team, Boisaco Inc.
Certainly, some workers are terrified. We hear them and we listen to them. We're with them all the time and we're experiencing what they're going through. However, they're so passionate about the forest that they'll stick around. They support us all the way and they won't give up. Boisaco's workers certainly won't give up. They're ready. This is their life. It's important to get organized so that everyone can continue to live as they choose, while respecting everyone else.
Conservative
Coordinator, Sales and Transport, Boisaco Inc.
As I said at the start of the meeting, the people of Sacré‑Cœur are passionate. Sacré‑Cœur is our habitat, our environment and our forest. It's part of us. Yes, we're anxious. We know that, if the order is implemented, we'll be forced into exile. We don't want that. We love the forest and our village. We want to stay in our area.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia
Thank you.
To wrap up this three‑hour meeting, I'll give the floor to Ms. Chatel.
Liberal
Sophie Chatel Liberal Pontiac, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I want to thank the witnesses.
Your comments today are echoed in my own backyard. There are rural communities in my constituency. In the northern Outaouais region, you may be familiar with the Gatineau Valley and Maniwaki. We have Louisiana‑Pacific Canada Ltd. and Resolute Forest Products.
A number of families, like you, have been affected by this fear. Access to fibre is a major issue in forestry. Workers and forestry companies have been making heartfelt pleas at committee meetings for us to work together.
Ms. Dufour, I see you. Your heartfelt plea is for all levels of government, industries and workers to join forces, because solutions exist.
I've seen in committee how the Conservatives aren't listening to workers and their heartfelt pleas. They don't want to work together. They want to create division among us. You and our constituents are saying that we need to sit down together and find solutions.
All the witnesses told us something that we confirmed with the minister earlier. We're missing a key player in the effort to save both the economy and the ecology, which we can do. When we work together, we can innovate and find solutions. We're missing Quebec, which isn't at the table to help find solutions. This is my heartfelt plea. We must ask Quebec to join the effort, to sit down with the federal government and to find solutions for Sacré‑Coeur, for Boisaco and for the future. You have three children and I know many families. We also want jobs for our children. We don't want them to leave our regions. We want them to have the opportunity to work in forestry too.
Ms. Dufour, can you tell us about your hope that governments and political parties will work together to find a solution for you?
Coordinator, Sales and Transport, Boisaco Inc.
I think that Boisaco and the village of Sacré‑Coeur are the finest example of everyone working together. We have the harvesters, the mill workers, the administration, Ripco and Granulco. Together, we've managed to find solutions to take all the resources from the tree and avoid any losses.
Boisaco helps Sacré‑Coeur and gives back to the community. It may be on a smaller scale than governments. However, Boisaco and Sacré‑Coeur have achieved a great deal in 40 years. I would like everyone to see what Sacré‑Coeur and Boisaco are all about. I would like everyone to see how much the Boisaco group means to our village and how proud every employee feels to work for Boisaco. I would like every elected official to see this and learn from this example. If everyone were to follow this example, it would be possible come up with a solution that makes sense.