Michael Miltenberger

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the Sahtu Final Agreement, as it pertains to wildlife harvesting and management, it states there that the government shall retain the ultimate jurisdiction for the management of wildlife and wildlife habitats, and in emergency circumstances requiring immediate decisions respecting policies and regulations in respect to the harvesting of wildlife by any person, the Minister may make interim emergency decisions. We see this as an emergency. We’re fully committed. We’ve got resources ready to work with the Yellowknives. We’ve come to an agreement with the Tlicho...

Emergency interim measures by definition, in my mind, we were faced with a need to make a decision to protect the caribou otherwise there would be a possible further precipitous decline and under the authorities that I did have or do have I made that very difficult decision to protect the herd and at the same time engage in the measures that were currently underway to find that area of accommodation and support among the aboriginal governments.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I stand here as the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. I spent a lot of time over the last few years becoming very conversant in all the issues, mainly wildlife that we’re dealing with. Plus I’ve been around for a long time, long enough to know and fully appreciate the value and importance of caribou to the people of the Northwest Territories as part of the fundamental nature and character of the Northwest Territories and has helped define how the people have evolved over the centuries.

Thank you. The science tells us, the numbers tell us, all the work we’ve done with the communities and all the census information tells us that if we just carry on the next, within about two to three years, the Bathurst herd as a separate distinct herd will cease to exist if we just allow the hunting to continue. We have an obligation and a requirement to do the right things to protect the herd and at the same time respect the processes that are now underway with the Wekeezhii and to consult further with the Yellowknives to come up with a longer term plan. This short-term emergency interim...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think we should also talk about the caribou and the trouble that they’re in and the fact that the herd numbers have gone from 120,000 to 30,000 and that we have to take some action in the short term to make sure that the herd is protected, recognizing that we have to work to accommodate their aboriginal right to harvest, which we want to do and we have done with the Tlicho and we’re working on it with the Yellowknives. We have the authorities under the Northwest Territories Act, any Orders-in-Council subsequent to that, as well as our own Wildlife Act, which is, as we...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member has basically listed the enabling legislation and subsequent authorities that we have used. The Northwest Territories Act, of course, is what gives us the ability to sit here in this forum to do the work of the people of the Northwest Territories. We have worked, and are working long and hard, to take over the decisions collectively as Northerners for the land and resources. Wildlife is one of the jurisdictions that we have authority over, as Minister Strahl confirmed when he was here last week. So the Northwest Territories Act and the Wildlife Act. Thank you...

Mr. Speaker, what is currently being discussed are specific proposals, suggestions, options in terms of moving forward to deal with the issue of the right to harvest, keeping in mind the broader and fundamental need to protect the herd over the course of this hunting season so that we can engage, through the Wekeezhii process and further consultation with the Yellowknives, the Tlicho, the Northwest Territories Metis, about a longer term harvest management plan for the Bathurst or the Ahiak or the Bluenose-East which is going to be, as I indicated, a very complex undertaking. Thank you.

We have a clear priority and we have held to that and we have held to it consistently across the Northwest Territories. There’s no more outfitting. There’s no more commercial harvest. There’s no resident harvest. The only harvest that’s permitted is aboriginal harvest. We’ve indicated that in this one area there’s a need to preserve the herd, but we’ll make an accommodation and we’ll provide the resources to go access and put to use the right to harvest in a carefully controlled circumstance with the Bluenose-East and the Ahiak.

So, Mr. Speaker, we are very aware of our obligation in everything...

I understand that long distance service has been impacted but local service and cell phone service is still available. But, yes, I would be happy to talk to the Member. We’ll make sure he gets this information and we can help him forward his concerns to NorthwesTel. Thank you.

If the Member would send me enough of the information, I would forward it to the department, through the office of the chief information officer, to see what option we have to, in fact, help them further their concern about filing their concern with NorthwesTel. Thank you.