Caribou: Guilbeault dangles the prospect of big money and invites Quebec to negotiate

A wild caribou roams the tundra near the Meadowbank gold mine in Nunavut, Canada, on March 25, 2009. Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault has invited his Quebec counterpart to the negotiating table to reach an agreement on caribou. (The Canadian Press/Nathan Denette)

Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault has invited his Quebec counterpart to the negotiating table to reach an agreement on caribou before Christmas. He noted that the province could benefit from hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to protect biodiversity.

On Thursday, Minister Guilbeault sent a letter to the Minister of the Environment, Benoit Charette, and the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, Maïté Blanchette-Vézina.

In his letter, Guilbeault reiterated that his government is ready to implement "a collaborative approach, including federal funding" to protect the caribou.

Up to $465.8 million

"The government can make up to $77.8 million in contributions for boreal caribou available. This amount is currently earmarked for this purpose, but will have to be reallocated to other programs if no opportunities materialise in Quebec in the near future," he wrote.

Guilbeault also said that he would like to negotiate an agreement on biodiversity, "for which Environment and Climate Change Canada is prepared to make an additional contribution of $100 million," and "this sum would be in addition to the $220 million currently being negotiated with Natural Resources Canada."

The minister also explained that "$68 million from the $2 billion tree program could also be made available to support a possible collaborative agreement to support tree planting for habitat restoration."

In total, the federal government could contribute "up to $465.8 million to support Quebec's efforts to achieve our shared conservation goals, including the protection of 30 per cent of land and water by 2030," the federal minister told his provincial counterpart.

"I would like to begin negotiations on a caribou agreement as soon as possible and, ideally, conclude an agreement before Christmas," the federal minister stated in his letter.

-This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Sept. 20, 2024.