Ottawa’s caribou decree will cost eight jobs for every animal it protects

• More than half of the job losses will result from measures designed to protect the Pipmuacan herd.

SAGUENAY, September 17, 2024 – The federal government’s decree seeking to protect certain woodland caribou herds would result in the loss of at least 1,990 jobs in Quebec’s rural regions, according to a Viewpoint published by the Montreal Economic Institute this morning.

“If the federal government goes ahead with its decree, it will cause the loss of a minimum of 1,990 jobs, and with no guarantee that the caribou will be saved,” warns Gabriel Giguère, senior public policy analyst at the MEI and author of the study. “In some regions, Ottawa is going so far as to risk putting 38 Quebecers out of work in the hope of saving just one caribou.”

This past June, the federal government presented a draft decree aimed at banning logging in certain areas in order to protect three herds comprising a total of 265 woodland caribou in Val-d’Or, Charlevoix and the Pipmuacan – between Saguenay and the Côte-Nord.

Ottawa’s proposed measures target several so-called “provisional” zones. Even larger areas, known as “zones of interest,” are not yet covered by the measures.

According to estimates from Quebec’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, if applied, these initial measures would result in the net loss of almost 1.1 million cubic metres of logging volume.

The MEI’s publication indicates that these losses will result in a decline in economic activity equivalent to $177.6 million per year.

More than half of this economic impact will be felt in the Pipmuacan region, where it is estimated that the protection of 225 animals would result in the loss of at least 1,041 jobs and $93.3 million in annual economic activity.

In the Charlevoix region, protecting a herd of 20 caribou would cause a loss of at least 609 jobs and $54.3 million in annual economic activity.

The measures taken in the Val-d’Or region would be the most expensive per caribou: for each of the nine animals covered by the decree’s protections, the area would see an estimated loss of 38 jobs and $3.43million in economic activity.

“It is important to recognize that these estimates are very conservative, as a loss of volume can mean the difference between keeping a business in operation or closing it down completely,” adds Giguère. “Preserving the woodland caribou is laudable, but the method adopted should not result in putting so many Quebecers out of work.”

The researcher points out that the three herds affected only represent between 3.6 and 4.3 per cent of the total woodland caribou population in Quebec. The majority of the herds, totalling more than 6,162 animals, reside in northern Quebec and in the Côte-Nord region, not in the targeted areas.

The MEI study is available here.

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The MEI is an independent public policy think tank with offices in Montreal and Calgary. Through its publications, media appearances, and advisory services to policymakers, the MEI stimulates public policy debate and reforms based on sound economics and entrepreneurship.

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