(Ottawa) Don’t look for Quebec’s contribution to the federal government’s new strategy to curb the loss of biodiversity in the country. All provinces and territories provided their plan as an appendix to this voluminous document unveiled Thursday, with the exception of the Quebec government.
“Quebec has decided not to provide information for this strategy, considering that it is the sole jurisdiction of the Quebec government, which is archival,” lamented the federal Minister of the Environment, Steven Guilbeault.
“We’re all working together on this. There is no one on the planet who says I’m going to do this alone in my corner in isolation. We have to work in partnership, so I find it a little disappointing that the government of Quebec decided not to participate like all the provinces, territories and indigenous peoples. »
The tabling of Bill C-73 comes as the Legault government has decided to once again delay the adoption of caribou protection measures, as reported by La Presse on Wednesday. It is extending the consultation on the pilot projects announced in April until October 31, which exposes it to intervention by the federal government. Ottawa had given Quebec until May 1 to present a concrete plan, failing which it is threatening to impose caribou protection measures unilaterally by decree.
“The Quebec government has broken its own promise it made to Quebecers,” said Mr. Guilbeault. This caribou strategy has been promised by the Quebec government since 2016.” The Quebec government had signed a letter jointly with Ottawa in 2022 where it committed to protecting 65% of critical caribou habitat, he said. -he recalled.
The bill on responsibility for nature provides for the development of a country-wide strategy and action plan to protect biodiversity. There are reporting mechanisms, such as the production of progress reports, to measure the progress of the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Independent experts will need to contribute to national strategies and reports. The minister must also take into account indigenous knowledge regarding biodiversity and respect the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Around one million species are already threatened with extinction, according to the United Nations. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework identifies 23 targets, including protecting “at least 30% of terrestrial areas, inland waters and coastal and marine areas” by 2030.
The federal government has already signed three agreements with one province and two territories – British Columbia, Yukon and the Northwest Territories – to achieve this goal across the country. Minister Guilbeault does not lose hope of concluding one with Quebec, which made a commitment to protect 30% of its territory last year.
“I still wish,” he said in an interview. I think it is in all of our general interests to work together. »
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework also provides a fund for developing countries of $20 billion per year by 2025 and $30 billion by 2030.
