Limit industrial disturbance in the boreal
Every province and territory missed the federal government’s five-year deadline of 2017 to establish range plans to protect and restore the habitat caribou need to survive. Meanwhile, resource extraction activities continue to fragment the boreal forest, threatening caribou and the wildlife the forest supports. Caribou need vast tracts of untouched land to survive and those are shrinking by the day.
Industry provides essential employment for thousands of hard-working people throughout Canada. But there is a better way of working that doesn’t put wildlife that share this land at risk. With just 34,000 woodland caribou left in the country, it’s up to us to establish and enforce disturbance limits that will preserve their critical habitat before it’s too late.
Tell your provincial or territorial representative to create and implement range plans that make room for both industry and caribou habitat protection.
Talking points
Provincial and territorial representatives want to hear from you personally, so please do not use the following speaking points verbatim. Remix them to make them your own:
- Introduce yourself (e.g., I’m a grandmother, immigrant, farmer, student, etc…)
- Tell them why protecting caribou is important to you.
- Ask them what their level of support is for developing and implementing caribou range plans and why.
- Ask them if they will commit to limits on disturbance in critical caribou habitat. (Wait for an answer from them on this.)
- Let them know you don’t accept stop-gap measures like penning or predator control as solutions. Habitat must be protected and restored.
- Ask how you can continue to support this planning and encourage them to speak up for caribou protection.
Tips for the call
Our system makes calling your elected representative easy. We’ll connect you through your phone to their office. On some occasions you can speak to them directly, but usually you will reach an assistant or leave a voicemail. Once the call rings through to your phone, use the talking points above as guides.
- Use a headset or hands-free — This will give you both hands to take notes about what is said.
- Be respectful but firm — They are our elected representatives. They will likely be happy to hear from engaged constituents. Make sure to ask for a response and provide them with return contact information.
- Thank your representative for their time and attention