Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Back in November 2012, I had asked the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources about identifying quotas for herds. When I say quotas, I mean, I am referring to numbers that herds rise up to a particular identifying number that we can then say once they reach this level, we can open up outfitting whether it is for resident hunters or, of course, open it up to the outfitters themselves. What work has been done on that particular issue since October?
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is work being done by the government. There are discussions among the co-management boards. There is a recognition that those types of thresholds, as the Member has pointed out, have value as we have seen from the successful application of the Porcupine caribou herd management approach where they have those thresholds and triggers.
As we have the discussions, we make sure we have the baseline information that gives us some common comfort that we have a clear number for a particular herd and herd size that work is being done. We expect to come forward here in the next few months with an update on exact specific progress herd by herd. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I am wondering if the Minister can be a little more specific regarding the actual thresholds that help to determine what is considered a quality size of a herd before we can start implementing hunting once again. Will he be willing to publicize that information as to what these determining numbers are so everyone can understand what we are working towards? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, there is a wide variety of herd sizes. Some are literally in the few thousands to some that are over 100,000. The numbers are not all going to be the same.
We are going to look herd by herd. We are going to work with the co-management boards and all of the appropriate stakeholders. When we have any specific information, we will bring that forward. Thank you.
The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
