WENDAKE, QC – After months of discussions and good-faith exchanges, the Chiefs’ Committee on Forests of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) has concluded that there is no guarantee that the proposals of the First Nations would be integrated into a significantly amended version of Bill 97, An Act mainly to modernize the forest regime. …it has become impossible to continue the work without a genuine assurance that the essential elements put forward by the First Nations would be fully incorporated into the legislation. …Therefore, the AFNQL is calling for the complete withdrawal of Bill 97. “…Only through the full withdrawal of Bill 97 and by returning together to the drawing board can we begin a true co-construction legislative process and envision a balanced future for our forests, while reducing the tensions currently observed on the ground”, said the Chief of the AFNQL, Francis Verreault-Paul.