A few days before the start of the election campaign in Quebec, the Legault government has reached an agreement in principle with the federal government on the protection of woodland caribou.
According to the announcement made Monday morning, all the herds in Quebec will be subject to protective measures. 65% of the natural habitat of boreal caribou and mountain caribou in the Gaspé will be protected, according to a mechanism that allows the involvement of Aboriginal communities.
“This allows the two levels of government to affirm, today, that they are confident of reaching an agreement aimed at maintaining, protecting and restoring woodland caribou on Quebec territory,” reads the Federal press release.
According to the agreement in principle, Quebec will publicly announce its strategy in June 2023. This plan would involve the creation of protected areas and biological refuges, as well as the dismantling of forest roads. These measures will cost at least $12 million from the coffers of Quebec, and $6.1 million from Ottawa.
The governments therefore agree to avoid the disappearance of Charlevoix caribou, as envisaged in a scenario developed by the commission on woodland caribou, set up by the Legault government.
The duty reported in April that Canada’s Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault had raised the specter of federal regulations to protect the species’ “critical habitat” after failing to see sufficient commitments from Quebec to curb the decline of the species.
The Premier of Quebec, François Legault, then replied that the management of the species falls within the “jurisdiction” of the province. The two governments disagreed on concrete measures to protect caribou, in the context of their “collaboration” on the protection of species at risk.
Boreal caribou have been on the list of threatened species under Canada’s Species at Risk Act since 2003 and on the list of vulnerable species in Quebec under Quebec’s Act respecting threatened or vulnerable species since 2005.
More details will follow.