Media Centre

Press Releases

2008

Québec should look to Ontario for inspiration

Three groups call for the protection of at least halp of Québec

September 17, 2008 - Québec

In its upcoming “Northern Plan,” the Québec government should look to Ontario for inspiration and include protection and conservation measures covering at least 50% of its northern territory. Two environmental groups based in Québec and an important Canadian Initiative are asking the Québec government to protect more than 50% of northern Québec. These wilderness areas, which span boreal forests, taiga, and tundra, will soon be at the centre of a large public debate with the upcoming announcement of the Charest governments’ “Northern Plan.”

What will Québec decide with respect to environmental protection and the economic future of its northern region? In light of the "Protected Areas in the Boreal Forest” Symposium currently taking place in Québec City, Nature Québec, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS Québec) and the Canadian Boreal Initiative (CBI) have decided to intervene and to propose their own vision for a plan that integrates scientific and traditional knowledge to combat climate change, conserve biodiversity, and to ensure economic development which respects both the environment and the rights of First Nations inhabiting the territory.

Standing out amongst the worst or the best?

"What we are proposing to Québec citizens for protecting the North is a vision based on 21st century knowledge rather than on archaic principles dating back to the gold rush era. It is about establishing a network of interconnected protected areas over at least 50% of the territory, which will allow us to protect the last wilderness areas of the boreal forest, taiga, and tundra,” explains Christian Simard, Executive Director of Nature Québec.

Québec can become a world leader

For many years, economists have compared the performance and development of Ontario and Québec and have asked Québec to align itself with Ontario conservation policies. Indeed, the protection of endangered species and the battle against climate change have become unavoidable issues of our time, and their handling by Québec will determine the province’s standing as a global leader.

CPAWS Québec, Nature Québec, and CBI are calling upon the Québec government to look to Ontario for inspiration and to aim for protecting at least 50% of the North. “As of this fall, Québec must take a step as significant as that of Ontario to protect our natural and cultural heritage – and do this not only by reviewing its forest and mining policies, but by integrating all policies in a visionary plan for Northern Québec that will respect the rights and traditional activities of First Nations,” adds Marie-Ève Marchand, Executive Director of CPAWS Québec.

Conservation: a necessity in the 21st century

By protecting one of the largest green belts in the world and by ensuring connectivity between protected areas, Québec is within reach of a powerful tool in the fight against climate change. Canada’s boreal and tundra ecosystems are one of the largest carbon reservoirs in the world. “In 2007, 1500 prominent scientists, including 76 from Québec, asked governments to proceed with the protection of at least 50% of the non-exploited boreal forest and of the taiga, in order to ensure ecological and cultural integrity and to preserve functional ecosystems in perpetuity. If Québec moves in concert with Ontario, this region will become one of the best-conserved forest ecosystems at the global scale,” says Harvey Locke, spokesperson for the Canadian Boreal Initiative in Québec.

CPAWS Québec, Nature Québec, and Canadian Boreal Initiative are convinced that the protection of at least 50% of northern Québec will ensure the future of the region, including its inhabitants and its natural resources.

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For further information, please contact:

Sophie Paradis, Communications coordinator, CPAWS Québec, 514.278.7627 ext. 221

Harvey Locke, Canadian Boreal Initiative Spokesperson, 647.225.7438

Mylène Bergeron, Communications coordinator, Nature Québec, 418.648.2104 ext. 2074 or 418.933.2031