Thank you for the question, Mr. Longfield.
The way the Species at Risk Act works is that if the experts from Environment and Climate Change Canada come to the conclusion that a province is not doing enough work to protect the habitat of a species that is endangered. Once this determination has been made, I have a legal obligation to make a recommendation to cabinet for an emergency order. Then cabinet can decide whether or not they want to move ahead with it.
Last year, in 2023, I made a similar recommendation to cabinet, and at that time cabinet asked me if I could try to negotiate with the Government of Quebec, which we've tried to do for over a year. Unfortunately, those discussions and those negotiations were unsuccessful, which is why I had to go back to cabinet to ask again for an emergency order, which was granted this time.
It's a cabinet decision. It's not an environment minister decision. It's a cabinet decision.