Legault government abandons its controversial reform of forestry regime
Posted September 25, 2025 11:18 am.
The government is abandoning the controversial Bill 97 on forestry reform, sponsored by former minister Maïté Blanchette Vézina.
Premier François Legault is expected to make the announcement during a speech to the Quebec Federation of Municipalities on Thursday in Quebec City.
The Canadian Press was able to confirm the information first reported by La Presse.
Introduced in April, Bill 97 aimed to give the forestry industry greater control.
The main element of the bill was the creation of “priority forest management zones,” which would aim to “provide predictability to the industry, in addition to entrusting it with responsibility for reforestation work.”
Ultimately, the government wanted these zones to “increase yield per hectare in order to eventually concentrate the impact of forestry activities.”
But the reform was strongly criticized by environmental groups, Indigenous peoples, and scientists.
Even the forestry industry asked the government to amend its bill.
The bill was introduced by Vézina, the former Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry.
Vézina was excluded from the cabinet during the recent ministerial reshuffle. She then slammed the door on the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), suggesting that her relationship of trust with the premier had been broken, particularly because of Bill 97.
“I had been given clear guidelines. (…) Over the summer, I worked hard to reconcile certain elements with what I was told was the support of the premier’s office and Mr. Legault’s inner circle. Unfortunately, I realized that these instructions were not clear after I was excluded,” she explained when she left the CAQ.
Jean-François Simard, Member of Parliament for Montmorency, succeeded Vézina as Minister of Natural Resources and Forests.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
