Federal environment minister gives Quebec May 1 deadline for caribou protection plan

OTTAWA — Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault is once again threatening to invoke federal powers to protect Quebec’s endangered woodland caribou.

Guilbeault says in a letter to his provincial counterpart dated Friday that Quebec has until May 1 to release its long-delayed caribou protection strategy.

He writes that he is concerned about the delays and says that if he concludes the animals are in danger of extinction, he could seek a federal decree to protect them.

In an interview this month, Quebec Environment Minister Benoit Charette declined to give a timeline for the release of the strategy — which was originally scheduled to be published last June.