Indigenous leaders and conservationists called out the Québec government for failing to do enough to preserve boreal forests.
What's happening?
The Québec Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests met privately with First Nations, environmental, and industry groups in the fall to discuss a plan to support the forestry industry while Canada works to protect its waters and wild spaces, but First Nations representatives balked when asked to sign nondisclosure agreements, the CBC reported.
The province has committed to conserving 30% of its lands and oceans by 2030 in partnership with the country's other provinces and federal government. In December, though, conservation nonprofit SNAP Québec said the MNRF should be investigated for its ties to the sector.
"Québec has to be transparent about what their real intentions are," Assembly of First Nations Québec-Labrador Chief Ghislain Picard told the outlet's Québec AM radio program.
"To us, it seems very clear in light of all the information that we have that the industry seems to be prevailing in what Québec is trying to do."
Algonquins of Barriere Lake Chief Casey Ratt said elders don't recognize their forest anymore because of excessive logging. In 2018, the ABL forced the government to agree to contact the group before forestry activities.
"Enough is enough," he said. "Anybody that comes into our territory — they will be asked to leave."
Why is this important?
The province's boreal forests cover twice the area of France, the CBC reported. From 1976 to 2020, over 14 million hectares have been cleared, leaving just 21 million hectares of 100-year-old-plus forests.
In addition to acting as a massive carbon sink, the trees provide wildlife habitat and support communities and forestry workers. If they're continually felled, woodland caribou, of which only 5,200 remain in Québec, as well as 50,000 jobs, 900 municipalities, and 1.5% of the province's gross domestic product would be at risk.
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Definitely 👍 SNAP Québec conservation director Pier-Olivier Boudreault told the CBC that the ministry has ignored forestry management experts and the provincial government's 30% goal. Even the federal government is pushing back, warning the province that it will intervene on behalf of the caribou since it "failed to develop an adequate plan to save them," the CBC stated.
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What's being done about Québec's boreal forests?
A plan is expected to be issued for logging reforms soon. Natural Resources and Forests Minister Maïté Blanchette Vézina told the CBC in a statement that Indigenous groups will be consulted.
"We want to ensure that we have a dynamic forestry sector and that our forests are sustainable, and that's exactly what I intend to do," she said.
To help protect the boreal forests, use your voice to push the government to prioritize Indigenous rights and conservation leadership.
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