Kevin A. Menicoche

Thank you very much. Canadian case law is full of examples where jurisdictions tried to prevent aboriginal people from hunting and fishing and they’ve always lost in court. Once again, the Minister is challenging our inherent right to hunt and fish. We’re going to go to court, we’re going to win, but I’d like to ask the Minister right now, we’re not talking about lifting the ban, but we’re talking about allowing our aboriginal people to hunt as they always have for hundreds of thousands of years. So will the Minister consider that seriously and immediately? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize a couple of hardworking Pages that came from one of my communities, Nahanni Butte. I’d like to recognize Ms. Lory Ann Bertrand and Ms. Kiayana Betsaka, as well as their chaperone, Bhreagh Ingarfield. Mahsi cho.

That reasoning doesn’t make sense, because some authorities actually go up in funding and some remain the same. So I’m not quite sure about that answer. The only reason I’m answering is I didn’t want to see a reduction of programs and services in the Deh Cho Health and Social Services Authority. Any other explanation from the Minister, Mr. Chair?

Thank you very much. Just for the record, the reason for the increase in personnel, Mr. Chair?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just wanted to ask a couple of questions on the current strategy for homelessness as well as emergency shelters. Of course, I am from a riding that has many small communities and these issues are raised, they are just as serious as the larger communities. I think I saw something in the Foundation for Change documents, something about addressing homelessness, even emergency shelters in the communities. Perhaps the Minister can fill me in on some of the details on how they are going to address these in the regions. Thank you.

Thank you very much. If the Minister is creating the law or regulation that charges aboriginal people for hunting and getting them thrown in jail, then he is restricting our inherent right to hunt and fish and trap. So, once again, where does he get that authority that’s based on the definition of a herd being extinct? What is the Minister’s definition of this Bathurst herd being extinct? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I want to follow up on Mr. Krutko’s line of questioning. I did raise it yesterday with the Minister of ENR, Mr. Speaker. I know that aboriginal people come from a proud history. We tell our youth we as aboriginal people, have a special right, an inherent right in our treaties and one of them is to hunt and fish and trap as long as the sun shines, the river flows and the grass is green. We can hunt to feed our people. However, the Minister of ENR implemented a no-hunt zone, Mr. Speaker. No one disputes conservation or preservation, but what we’re talking about...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. This week is Apprenticeship and Occupational Certification Week. I would like to recognize how the government has increased emphasis on and support for training apprenticeship opportunities and occupational certification over the past few years. This is paying off. We will need these graduates to work on the highways and pipelines in our future. There are many advantages to taking a trade. A person can work often in their own community and attend tiers of training at Aurora College and/or colleges down south.

Occupational certification programs provide similar advantages. As...

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Just with regard to page 8-33 -- I believe we are on that page -- there is a $700,000 reduction in the Deh Cho Health and Social Services Authority. I was just wondering if the Minister knows what would be one or a couple of the biggest single contributing factors in the decline in funding.

Mr. Speaker, I am still not clear on the powers that he does have to limit aboriginal subsistence hunting. He references an Order-in-Council from 1960 which also references muskox, polar bear and woodland bison which we do hunt, Mr. Speaker, so how can he pick one over the other? I think the case has to be made that the process in his decision-making is about protecting extinct animals, threatened species or endangered species, but he has never given the case to this House or anybody that that is what he is doing. He is only saying low numbers, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister on...