FOREST REGIME: CALL FOR THE COMPLETE WITHDRAWAL OF BILL 97

WENDAKE, QC, Sept. 9, 2025 /CNW/ - After several months of discussions and good-faith exchanges, the Chiefs' Committee on Forests of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) has concluded that there is no guarantee that the proposals of the First Nations would be integrated into a significantly amended version of Bill 97, An Act mainly to modernize the forest regime (Bill 97).

In this context, it has become impossible to continue the work without a genuine assurance that the essential elements put forward by the First Nations would be fully incorporated into the legislation.

Yet these fundamental principles have been repeated and remain constant:

• Respect for our ancestral and treaty rights, recognized by the Canadian Constitution and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, particularly in matters of governance and economic development;
• The establishment of genuine co-management of forests, on a government-to-government basis, and not an administrative delegation unilaterally decided by the State;
• The complete withdrawal of priority forest management zoning, which is incompatible with our rights and denounced by a majority of experts.

Despite some signs of openness, major uncertainty remains due to an unstable and unpredictable political context: the cabinet shuffle announced for September 10, the postponement of the parliamentary session from September 16 to September 30, and the possibility of prorogation of the National Assembly.

Therefore, the AFNQL is calling for the complete withdrawal of Bill 97. "At this stage, continuing to work on the bill amounts to investing time and resources without any guarantee that our fundamental demands will be respected. Only through the full withdrawal of Bill 97 and by returning together to the drawing board can we begin a true co-construction legislative process and envision a balanced future for our forests, while reducing the tensions currently observed on the ground", said the Chief of the AFNQL, Francis Verreault-Paul.

The AFNQL reaffirms its willingness to work on the development of a new forest regime but reminds that this work must be carried out upstream, in a true spirit of government-to-government collaboration, and with full respect for the rights of First Nations.

SOURCE Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador

For further information and interview requests: Jérôme Gill-Couture - AFNQL, [email protected], 438-334-5742 - https://apnql.com/