Question Period Note: Southern Mountain Caribou

Southern Mountain Caribou

• The Government of Canada is committed to the protection and recovery of Canada’s species at risk, based on sound science, Traditional Knowledge, collaboration, and robust recovery measures.
• Canada’s southern mountain caribou are in serious decline and science indicates their recovery is unlikely without immediate action.
• Management of terrestrial wildlife is primarily the responsibility of provinces and territories. The Species at Risk Act (SARA) provides various tools— both regulatory and stewardship-based—for the Government of Canada to support the protection and recovery of southern mountain caribou.
• The Government of Canada is working with British Columbia and the West Moberly and Saulteau First Nations, as well as with Alberta, to finalize conservation agreements that commit to concrete, on-the-ground actions to support the conservation of the species.
• The Government is committed to working with all partners to protect and recover southern mountain caribou in British Columbia and Alberta, while balancing socioeconomic impacts.

There are approximately 1.5 million caribou of various types in Canada. Despite the overall number of caribou, several subspecies/populations – including southern mountain caribou (SMC) – have been listed as at risk under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA) due to large or rapid declines in numbers observed over the last 20-30 years. These declines are attributed to past and present human activities, which are increasing at an accelerated rate.

The day-to-day management of caribou is primarily a matter of provincial/territorial jurisdiction. The federal government is responsible for caribou conservation on federal lands (e.g. National Parks) and has certain responsibilities when a subspecies/population is listed under SARA. SARA provides the overarching framework for recovering species at risk in Canada, and is designed to complement provincial/territorial legislation where it exists.

Imminent Threat Finding
In May 2018, Minister McKenna determined that SMC are facing imminent threats to their recovery. When the Minister has formed such an opinion, SARA requires that the Minister recommend that the Governor in Council make an emergency order to protect the species.

Bilateral Conservation Agreements
In May 2017, the Governments of Canada and British Columbia initiated negotiations of a conservation agreement enabled by Section 11 of SARA. Drafts of that agreement were published for public comment in March 2019. Similar to other caribou conservation agreements, the bilateral agreement includes commitments to landscape-level planning, habitat protection, habitat and population management, and monitoring.

The Governments of Canada and Alberta are also finalizing a conservation agreement that includes all caribou in Alberta. This includes SMC and boreal caribou.

Partnership Agreement
Canada is negotiating a Partnership Agreement between Canada, BC, and the Saulteau and West Moberly First Nations, in recognition of the First Nations’ leadership in the recovery of the species and interest in regaining traditional harvesting activities. The Partnership Agreement includes commitments to landscape-level planning, habitat protection, habitat and population management, and monitoring. Local governments, communities, and industry have been vocal in criticizing the draft Partnership Agreement for its perceived impact on forestry jobs and backcountry access, while environmental organizations have been generally supportive.

Recent Developments
In April 2019, BC appointed Mr. Blair Lekstrom to liaise with community leaders and local stakeholders in the Peace Region on the draft agreements. On June 20, 2019, BC released Mr. Lekstrom’s report along with a statement of the province’s intention to sign the Section 11 agreement. Also on June 20, 2019, BC implemented an immediate two-year moratorium on development in a significant portion of habitat covered by the draft Partnership Agreement.

In summer 2019, BC and Canada appointed special advisors to the Premier’s office and Deputy Minister’s Office, respectively, who will represent the province and Canada in reconciliation work amongst local industry, municipalities and First Nations. The special advisors are preparing for a Fall 2019 meeting of a Leader’s Table anticipated to include Chiefs, Mayors, CEOs from impacted companies, and federal/provincial Deputy Ministers. Parties to the agreements are working on finalizing the agreements as soon as possible.

U.S. Listing
The United States (U.S.) recently listed SMC as endangered and designated critical habitat under their Endangered Species Act. The caribou listed by the U.S. are equivalent to the Southern Group of SMC under SARA. They were recently extirpated from the U.S.

Question Period notes as provided by the Department to the Minister’s Office