GATINEAU, QC, Aug. 6, 2024 /CNW/ - The Minister of Environment and Climate Change, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, makes the following statement to announce the extension of the consultation period that began on June 19, 2024, for an emergency order to protect the caribou:

"In June, we took steps to put in place an emergency order to protect the habitat of the three most at-risk boreal caribou populations in Quebec: Val-d'Or, Charlevoix and Pipmuacan.

After requests from Quebec's Indigenous communities and stakeholders, we are announcing today that it will be extended by four weeks, until September 15, 2024.

This extension is intended to give the various parties involved more time to participate in these important consultations, while respecting the urgent nature of the situation.

This extension will also provide an additional opportunity for the Government of Quebec to present a comprehensive strategy to protect the boreal caribou.

We remain open to collaborating and supporting the Government of Quebec in the implementation such a strategy.

However, faced with this threat to the caribou, and without an adequate strategy, we have a legal responsibility to intervene in order to ensure the survival of the species."

SOURCE Environment and Climate Change Canada