My team members and I are hosting a public panel as part of an undergrad course requirement. The
focus of our panel will be the sustainable forest management in Québec in the context of the climate
crisis and its impact on local communities. We will be illustrating the consequences of a malformed
legislature, such as Bill 97, on the environment, indigenous communities and the general populace of
Quebec. In addition, we will be centering the discussion within the broader context of care or lack
thereof, towards environmental challenges. By framing the discussion in this way we hope to impart a
greater sense of awareness regarding the topic as well as the challenges diverse groups face as the
exploitation of resources exacerbates the climate crisis.
To support a more well rounded discussion we will be inviting panelists including academics, activists
and indigenous community members. Each member reflects a specific component of the issues
surrounding the lack of protective legislature and indigenous consultation that contribute to the
perpetuation of colonial interpretations of environment and consumption. The dispossession of the
land and forests from indigenous people has created unimaginable loss of cultural identity and is
linked to the many struggles of Indigenous youth such as alcohol abuse and suicide. We aim to
empower Indigenous voices and perspectives on the matter as we feel it is deeply tied to the issue of
colonialism in Quebec, Indigenous sovereignty and land back movements.
In hosting this panel and fostering this discussion we intend to impart on our guests several elements.
The first being a broader understanding of forestry in Quebec, forest management and environmental
legislature. Second, establishing intimate connections with indigenous experiences and the
consequences of ongoing colonial violence. Lastly, providing a more comprehensive definition of policy,
it’s importance for our collective futures and our place as citizens within it! We believe that by
addressing these components our guests will have understood the present challenges we face and the
ways in which we can participate in generating a more caring future and environment for all, especially
those afflicted more heavily by inequity.
YEARS FUNDED
2025
AMOUNT ALLOCATED
$1,950