Caribou protection: environmentalists praise Ottawa’s ultimatum
The ultimatum on woodland caribou protection issued to Quebec by federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault would be a signal that Ottawa’s patience is limited to provinces that do not assume their responsibilities to protect wildlife, environmentalists believe.
Rachel Plotkin, a caribou specialist at the David Suzuki Foundation, believes that Minister Guilbeault’s threat to unilaterally protect the habitat of this species in Quebec territory to protect declining populations shows that Ottawa is ready to adopt a hard line, after years of neglect.
As an activist hired to try to strengthen the tools of the Species and Risk Act, I am very happy to see that a minister finally seems willing to use them.
The federal government asked the provinces to develop a strategy to protect the critical habitat of caribou in 2012. However, according to Ms. Plotkin, Ottawa has always been reluctant to force them to act, even as the population continues to decline.
This shows that the federal government is tired of waiting for the provinces to do the right thing [et que] his patience had reached the limit reviewed the expert.
The threat of the law
In a letter dated April 8, Minister Guilbeault gave the Quebec government until April 20 to inform him of his caribou care and shelter plan. If the plan is deemed inadequate, Mr. Guilbeault will recommend that the cabinet issue an order to protect part of the animal habitat in Quebec territory, regardless of the province’s objections.
Ottawa recently negotiated with Alberta on a woodland caribou protection plan and is currently negotiating with British Columbia and Ontario.
Unfortunately, the Quebec Government seems to have little willingness to seek land said Mr. Guilbeault, sorry, Thursday.
The minister still hopes to reach an agreement in Quebec and avoid the imposition of an injunction on it.
Jeremy Kerr, professor of biology at the University of Ottawa, believes that Mr. Guilbeault’s intervention was a stern reminder that provincial environmental departments must assume their responsibilities .
He said the federal environment minister is ignoring the decision to impose Ottawa’s will on a province-especially one that most vehemently opposes federal intervention.
If the federal minister is willing to get into this kind of potentially controversial situation in Quebec, then he is willing to do it anywhere. observation of Mr. Kerr.
Ottawa has already issued emergency orders to rule out immediate threats to a species, including halting construction projects in southern Quebec to protect the Western Chorus Frog, recalled Anne-Sophie Doré, attorney at the Center Quebecs of the law of the environment. But this new action that Minister Guilbeault thought had not yet been done, he insisted.
Unlike emergency orders, an executive order will protect dwellings in their entirety and could take five years, he said.
The Species and Risk Act provides penalties for non -compliance with the order, but Quebec may try to challenge them in court, Ms. added. Doré.
Reduce activities
Mr. Guilbeault said Thursday that the protection order would cover approximately 35,000 square kilometers in Quebec.
According to Mr. Kerr, this order could introduce new elements, from stopping land use activities that threaten caribou safety in these areas, to requiring change management in these areas .
Research has shown that caribou need thick, old forests to feed and protect themselves from predators.
Until now, governments have been reluctant to reduce industrial activities such as logging. These activities resulted in the replacement of old trees with younger ones, and created paths that made it easier for predators to get to the caribou. To protect the cervid, there is no doubt that industrial activities in their territory should be significantly reduced, according to Mr. Kerr.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault said Tuesday that Mr. Guilbeault’s ultimatum was another example of Justin Trudeau’s government interference in areas of the province’s jurisdiction. Quebec, he said, has an independent caribou protection commission aimed at balancing the protection of jobs is important in some regions of Quebec .
Mr. Kerr, Ms. Plotkin and Ms. Doré notes, however, that for several years, in Quebec, the governing authorities have shown themselves reluctant to introduce significant changes to protect woodland caribou.
The status quo cannot continue if we are to have a future where wildlife lives and recovers, Ms Plotkin said. Hopefully this federal wake-up call will spur those changes.
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