Caribou protection | Pierre Dufour “will have to do better”, says Steven Guilbeault

The Quebec Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks, Pierre Dufour, “will have to do better than what he is doing now” for the protection of caribou, says the federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault.

Jean-Thomas Léveillé
The Press

“It is extremely clear for us”, he declared during a press conference on the modernization of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.

Asked about the measures he intended to take if Quebec does not step up the protection of woodland and mountain caribou, as he asked recently, Minister Guilbeault first replied that he “much prefers that the provinces do what they have to do for themselves”.

However, “as a last resort”, Ottawa could, for example, put an end to forestry work threatening caribou habitat, as it did for the western chorus frog, he illustrated.

Earlier in the day, Minister Dufour had denied not doing enough to protect the caribou.

“I think there are a lot of things we have done since the beginning,” he said on his arrival at the Council of Ministers.

This statement by Minister Dufour earned him the reprimands of his federal counterpart.

“To simply recite what we already do knowing that it is inadequate, this is not progress for me, clearly,” asserted Steven Guilbeault.

Acknowledging that certain actions are taken by Quebec to protect the caribou, Minister Guilbeault however underlined that “according to the opinion even of the scientists of the ministry of Mr. Dufour, it is insufficient”, referring to a review of literature commissioned by Minister Dufour.

“And that’s the conclusion that we came to, that our scientists came to, in the federal government,” he added.

Modernization of the law

Minister Steven Guilbeault announced on Wednesday the tabling in the Senate of Bill S-5 aimed at modernizing the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), which has not been reviewed for over 20 years.

“This bill would enshrine the right to a healthy environment in federal legislation for the first time,” said Minister Guilbeault at a press conference.

The bill also aims to promote the transition to chemicals that are safer for the environment and health and would propose improved management of toxic substances presenting the highest risks.

The amended CEPA “would require that risk assessments take into account the actual exposure of the cumulative effects of substances on individuals or the environment,” explained the minister.

act quickly

Bill S-5 is the same that was introduced in the House of Commons in April 2021, then bearing number C-28, but which died on the order paper due to the outbreak of the election campaign – it was introduced in the Senate first this time because the upper house’s legislative calendar was less busy than that of the House of Commons.

Even if some called for its improvement before it was tabled again, Minister Guilbeault preferred to act quickly.

“In a minority government, in a Parliament like ours, time is not an ally,” he said, saying he was however “very open” to proposed changes that could be made during his study.

A coalition of environmental groups reacted to the tabling of the bill by calling for its strengthening and its adoption “without delay”, recalling that it has now been five years since the Standing Committee on Environment and Development Sustainable recommended strengthening CEPA.

“Toxic chemicals found in the air, water, food and products threaten Canadians and it is high time for improved regulations to prevent harm to our health and the environment,” said Cassie Barker of Environmental Defense said in a statement.

“When it is necessary to act to prevent environmental damage, for example by reducing greenhouse gases or banning plastic, it is done within the framework of this law,” she added. The stronger it is, the better we can deal with the most pressing pollution problems. »

With Tommy Chouinard, The Press