M-83 Old growth forest protection

That:

(a) the House recognize that

(i) Canada has committed to protecting 25% of its land by the year 2025, and 30% by 2030,

(ii) there is a climate emergency, as declared by this House on June 17, 2019,

(iii) Canada has committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40-45% relative to 2005 by 2030, and achieve net zero emissions by 2050,

(iv) nature and climate are intertwined, and you cannot solve one crisis without solving the other,

(v) Indigenous Peoples have rights and title to their traditional territories and have been stewards of these lands and the resources that are found on them since time immemorial,

(vi) Canada is committed to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, has passed legislation to incorporate the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples into Canadian law, and is committed to working in partnership with Indigenous Peoples on nature conservation,

(vii) old growth forests are made up of first growth trees aged 250 or more years old on the coast of British Columbia and typically 140 years or more elsewhere, are iconic for Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians alike, are critical habitat for many species at risk, often store more than twice the accumulated carbon per hectare than secondary forests, making them one of the most effective nature-based solutions to climate change, and provide ecosystem services both measurable and beyond what can be measured,

(viii) less than 8% of the most productive big treed old growth forests remain in British Columbia, and less than a third of all old growth forests have legal protection,

(ix) the majority of Canadians support sustainable harvesting of second and third growth forests, but there is no social license to log the last of the giant old growth trees, or to destroy their surrounding ecosystems,

(x) Canada has committed to protect old growth forests, notably in British Columbia, by reaching a nature agreement with B.C., and ensuring Indigenous peoples, local communities and workers are partners in shaping the path forward for nature protection,

(xi) Canada has allocated $81.9 million towards the creation of an Old Growth Nature Fund,

(xii) Canada has committed to phase out the mining of thermal coal and ban thermal coal exports from and through Canada as swiftly as possible, and no later than 2030,

(xiii) Canada continues to support value addition in forestry through the Forest Industry Transformation Program, Forest Innovation Program, Indigenous Forestry Initiative and the Green Construction through Wood program, as well as an investment of $368.4 million in budget 2023; and

(b) in the opinion of the House, the government should

(i) immediately and permanently end all destruction of old growth forests on federal land, excepting on Indian Reserve Lands, which shall be subject to consent with the respective First Nation,

(ii) prioritize and fund the long-term protection of endangered old growth forest ecosystems as a key component of Canada’s conservation commitments, as part of Canada’s climate plan, and to advance reconciliation with Indigenous peoples,

(iii) launch the Old Growth Nature Fund before the end of 2023 to leverage co-financing from the Province of British Columbia, the private sector, and any other sources of capital to finance the protection and conservation of the remaining old growth forest in Canada,

(iv) ban the export of old growth logs and wood products made from old growth trees, from and through Canada as swiftly as possible, and no later than 2030,

(v) continue to support value added forestry industry initiatives in partnership with First Nations aimed at ensuring that Canada can have a sustainable and vibrant forestry industry based on the harvesting of second and third growth forests.