Environmental groups react to Quebec-Ottawa caribou funding deal

Environmental groups are split over a new funding agreement between Quebec and the federal government aimed at helping protect the province’s declining caribou herds. Under the deal, Ottawa will provide Quebec $25 million over five years for caribou conservation, along with an additional $15 million for Indigenous communities. Quebec has also agreed to publish reports on how the money is being used. SNAP Québec says the agreement is a positive step, but its executive director, Alain Branchaud, said more concrete action is needed to protect caribou. He also said communities tied to logging should receive compensation if conservation measures disrupt their activities. Retired biology professor Marco FestaBianchet, however, described the deal as largely symbolic and argued it does little to produce real progress for the species.