Federal caribou decree will hammer rural Quebec

The federal government is considering an emergency decree to protect woodland caribou that would cost Quebec and its rural regions dearly. Thousands of families who work in the forest sector in the Saguenay, Côte-Nord and Abitibi regions could suffer serious consequences.

Unfortunately, it would seem federal officials put greater weight on saving caribou than saving humans’ jobs. The decree, which has now been through the compulsory consultation stage but has not yet been issued, aims to protect three herds comprising a total of 265 caribou — about four per cent of the estimated 6,162 woodland caribou found in Quebec and just a fraction of one per cent of the more than 30,000 in Canada.

The proportion of caribou protected by the proposed federal intervention may be very small but the edict’s effect on rural areas would be very large. According to an analysis by the Quebec Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests, the required reduction in the volume of logging would result in the loss of well-paying jobs for at least 1,990 Quebec workers. At a time when the forestry sector is already struggling, there is no guarantee they will find work in the sector again.

More than half of these job losses will be in the Pipmuacan Reservoir region, at the junction of the Saguenay and Côte-Nord regions. According to the ministry’s estimates, the economic loss to the local economy would be $93.3 million. Not far away, in the Charlevoix region, an estimated 600 workers would lose their jobs — all in an attempt to protect a herd of 31 caribou that already live in multi-hectare, fenced enclosures that are off-limits to humans. Abitibi-Témiscamingue will not be spared, either. Although only nine caribou remain, the emergency decree would eliminate 340 jobs and lop $30 million annually off the local economy. That’s 38 jobs lost for every caribou Ottawa is hoping to help.

Ottawa’s numbers imply it believes each caribou it protects is worth on average the jobs of 20 forestry workers. Forestry workers are not likely to agree. In total, Ottawa’s proposed measures would reduce forestry sector output by $178 million and cause the unemployment of several hundred Quebecers — this at a time when the sector is already facing numerous challenges, beginning with rising U.S tariffs, which are having a major impact.

In addition to the estimated job losses and damage to the regional economy, there’s the even more alarming possibility that entire factories could shut down. A 20-30 per cent decline in the volume of wood delivered to sawmills could mean the difference between profitability and loss. This is the situation facing the Boisaco plant near Sacré-Cœur, just north of Tadoussac, at the mouth of the Saguenay, If the company loses too much of its timber supply, it may have to close, which would cause 600 workers to lose their jobs. Thus, the decree’s consequences could be even worse than predicted.

The village of Sacré-Cœur relies on the Boisaco plant to maintain its vitality. In a town of 1,700 souls, the loss of 600 jobs could ultimately lead to the abandonment of the village. For local residents, it would mean losing the value of their homes, closing their businesses and being forced to move away to find new opportunities.

But human tragedies don’t seem to be factored into Ottawa’s calculations. All it sees are these three caribou herds and the decree that it believes will save them. This kind of blinkered thinking is typical of what happens when the federal government tries to interfere in areas outside its field of expertise.

Ottawa feels Quebec is not moving fast enough to protect the caribou. But Quebec is moving more slowly because the provincial government is taking the time required to weigh the protection of the herds against the devastation that would be wrought in the targeted regions.

Getting the balance right may take longer than Ottawa would like, but at least it stands a chance of mitigating the adverse effects on our rural regions.

Gabriel Giguère est analyste senior en politiques publiques à l’IEDM et l’auteur de « Protéger le caribou sans ruiner nos régions ». Il signe ce texte à titre personnel.