Despite the ultimatum set by the federal Minister of the Environment, Steven Guilbeault, in the case of woodland caribou, the Government of Quebec has not responded to it. Premier François Legault says the management of the species falls under the province’s “jurisdiction”, while Ottawa is ready to decree the protection of deer habitat.
The office of the Federal Minister of the Environment confirmed on Wednesday early evening at the To have to that the Legault government did not respond to the ultimatum, which had been set for April 20. “We have no response,” the minister’s office said by email.
Last week, Mr. Guilbeault had summoned the Government of Quebec to send him “all information” on the laws, regulations and other “concrete measures” which “contribute to the protection of the critical habitat of boreal caribou and their habitat critical “.
From there, the federal government had to assess whether Quebec is doing enough to avoid the decline and disappearance of the species, whose habitat is increasingly disturbed, mainly due to the impacts of the forestry industry.
If Minister Guilbeault deems that the measures do not “effectively” protect deer habitat, he will have to recommend that a “decree” be issued to protect it, under his obligations under the Species Act in peril. Such a gesture could mean that Ottawa would impose protective measures on territories totaling at least 35,000 km2 in Quebec. Several of these territories had been targeted to become protected areas, but the Legault government set them aside in 2020 to preserve the potential for forest harvests.
“Jurisdiction” of Quebec
Without confirming on Wednesday the absence of a response from the federal government, the office of the Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks, Pierre Dufour, replied that “the file has been evolving since last week” and that the Minister of Canadian Relations, Sonia Lebel, “is in contact with his federal counterpart for the continuation of things in this file”.
As part of a press briefing in Gaspé, Prime Minister François Legault however reaffirmed his desire not to let the federal government intervene in the file. “According to our lawyers, caribou are clearly a field of jurisdiction of Quebec, not of the federal government,” insisted the CAQ leader. At the same time, he accused the Trudeau government of wanting to “meddle in the file”.
“Basically, we try to find a balance. Today, there are 5,000 caribou left, there are 35 left in the Gaspé, it is an endangered species. Now, there are also jobs in the forestry sector that are at stake,” he argued.
Mr. Legault also recalled that an “Independent Commission” set up by the government has the mandate to propose measures that will “add new solutions” for woodland caribou. “The file is under control by the Government of Quebec. »
The Commission must in fact suggest means of “limiting the socio-economic impacts” of the protection of the woodland caribou. It is currently conducting public consultations. None of the three commissioners is an expert on the species that is central to their mandate.
Collaboration
Despite the absence of a written response to the April 20 ultimatum, the Trudeau government is always ready to “collaborate” with Quebec, Minister Steven Guilbeault’s office said on Wednesday.
“Species protection and environmental stewardship are shared responsibilities in Canada and, working with its provincial partners, the federal government can help, where needed, to take protective measures and make investments so that caribou populations in Quebec remain healthy for generations to come,” it was noted in a written response.
“It’s been ten years since the federal government first indicated that we should collaborate on these conservation plans. The time has come to get it right and develop a common conservation plan. Our last resort will be to use the Species at Risk Act,” added the minister’s office.
Similar federal steps are also underway with other provinces — particularly in British Columbia and Ontario — which have populations of woodland caribou, a species that is increasingly threatened across Canada.
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), which offers certification to companies that exploit forests in a sustainable manner, also indicated in a press release on Wednesday that it “urges Quebec to work with the federal government to act immediately on conservation of caribou habitat”.
Several forestry companies active in regions where the species’ habitats are found hold FSC certification, a standard that is increasingly demanded by the markets as proof of “sound forest management”.