Wendake, June 21, 2024 – The Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) welcomes yesterday’s meeting between representatives of several First Nations and Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault, and wishes to express its support and cooperation in the implementation of an emergency order to protect the habitat of the boreal caribou in Quebec.
The AFNQL agrees with Minister Guilbeault regarding the Quebec government’s inaction on this issue over the past several years and the need to take action to protect caribou. The AFNQL considers unacceptable and absurd the comments made by Benoît Charrette, Minister of the Environment, Climate Change, Wildlife, and Parks, who stated that the Quebec government has stepped up its efforts and is more motivated than ever to take action to protect this species.
According to Chief Picard: “It is absurd for Minister Charrette to make such statements when First Nations feel that his intentions are quite the opposite. The Quebec government has done everything in its power to break its promises by delaying the publication of a comprehensive strategy for the protection of woodland and mountain caribou and the implementation of the independent commission’s recommendations. This could be considered a case of incompetence.”
This attitude on the part of the Quebec government is very problematic for caribou, but also for the conservation of biodiversity in general. Indeed, the AFNQL is also very concerned that the Quebec government has refused to collaborate with the federal government on its strategy to curb biodiversity loss, while all other provinces and territories have contributed to it.
In light of these failures by the Quebec government, the AFNQL is pleased that First Nations and the federal government are taking matters into their own hands together.
About the AFNQL
The Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador is the regional political organization that brings together the 43 Chiefs of the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador.
About the FNQLSDI
Founded in 2000 by the Chiefs of the AFNQL, the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador Sustainable Development Institute (FNQLSDI) has a mission to work with First Nations in implementing their vision of sustainable development.
www.iddpnql.ca