{"id":74041,"date":"2026-02-05T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/?p=74041"},"modified":"2026-02-09T17:12:20","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T22:12:20","slug":"film-making-as-a-means-to-take-action-against-deforestation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/canada\/en\/story\/74041\/film-making-as-a-means-to-take-action-against-deforestation\/","title":{"rendered":"Film-making as a means to take action against deforestation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Greenpeace Canada, in collaboration with Wapikoni Mobile<\/a> and Amplifier films<\/a>, hosted a film screening and discussion last week, January 28th, on the topic of Protecting our Forest<\/strong> in support of Indigenous Land Defenders, local groups and activists taking action against the forestry reform bill 97 by the Quebec Government.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

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Back in September 2025, the proposed Bill 97<\/a> was abandoned by the Coalition du Qu\u00e9bec CAQ government due to the increasing criticism from First Nations chiefs, environmental groups, activists and others who believed the reform to be highly exploitative and misleading<\/a>. The bill aimed to divide the province’s forest into three zones: one that prioritised conservation, one focused on timber production, and a third zone for multiple uses. However, the reality was a vision of forest management that some argued could have resulted in ecocide and cultural genocide against Indigenous people<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n

Despite the withdrawal of Bill 97, profit-driven forestry companies continue to ravage forests, biodiversity, and stolen lands with impunity to produce lumber for export.  Greenpeace recently published, Paper Trail to Nowhere<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>a two-part investigative report that exposes Domtar, formerly Paper Excellence, as the largest pulp and paper mill company in Canada, managing 22 million hectares of forest land across the country and has ties to a global conglomerate known<\/a> for destroying forests worldwide and conflicts with Indigenous communities. Now, it’s quickly taking over our forests<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

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Photo credit: Esm\u00e9 James<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

In light of these events, we collaborated with Wapikoni Mobile<\/a> \u2014 a non-profit that supports Indigenous film-makers throughout Canada and Amplifier Films<\/a>, a film-maker and activist organization that has been capturing the illegal deforestation for over the past 5 years at Nitaskinan, Atikamekw territory. <\/p>\n\n

A total of 6 films were presented throughout the night that not only captured the resistance against extractive industry and other \u201cnational interest\u201d projects, but also heart-warming films that made us reflect on our connection to the land, our responsibility and roles as caretakers, including \u201cA message from Mother Earth\u201d<\/a> by Poet and writer Denise Larocque or \u201cIt\u2019s me Landon\u201d by Landon Moise. <\/p>\n\n

After the film screening, we invited our guest speakers to come up on stage and shed some light on the topic from their own experiences and practices. We were honoured to have Robert Echequan, Atikamekw land chief defender, who joined us for the evening. Robert has been at the forefront of the resistance movement at Camp Souveranit\u00e9 134km<\/a>, the main checkpoint against illegal forestry activity. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cI will die here in defending my territory. I will not give up the fight,\u201d<\/em><\/strong> <\/strong>he said after calling out the injustices in his territory and the lack of accountability from the government to intervene against illegal deforestation by industry companies. <\/p>\n\n

Throughout the call, members of the Front de R\u00e9sistance Autochtone Populaire (FRAP<\/a>) and Front de R\u00e9sistance \u00c9cologique et de D\u00e9fense Autochtone (FREDA<\/a>) showcased their support by being online and calling out to the public to support the camps by creating more blockades against both forestry and mining activities in the territory. Equally important is the financial support that is needed to maintain and keep the camps alive. They also called for any donations or financial support<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n

Moreover, our guest panellist, Nicolas Mainville, Director of Biodiversity at the Soci\u00e9t\u00e9 pour la nature et les parcs (SNAP Qu\u00e9bec) shared his view on the current uncertainties of the CAQ government, the current lack of leadership, and his doubts on how a new revised bill will truly create a transparent process amongst environmental groups and Indigenous movements.  <\/p>\n\n

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Photo credit: Esm\u00e9 James<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

What\u2019s next? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

It is quite clear that the provincial government and its industry backers should be accountable for the ongoing intense industrial logging, biodiversity loss, and rapid climate change.  <\/p>\n\n

As part of our ongoing work at Greenpeace, we know that Canada\u2019s forests are not abstract assets on a balance sheet. They are living ecosystems, sources of clean air and water, homes to wildlife, and places people rely on for their livelihoods and cultures. When billions in public money are tied to their destruction, people across Canada deserve answers. <\/p>\n\n

To that end, Greenpeace Canada has launched two petitions that call on the Government to take action towards:<\/p>\n\n