Madam Speaker, I want to be able to ask the Minister of Lands: what is the Minister's policy on enforcement, for enforcement on reserve lands?
Thank you, Member. Minister of Lands.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Presently, we do not enforce policies on reserve land. However, the Member has asked in a meeting with Salt River that we look into this. I have made a commitment to her and to the chief that we will be reaching out to the federal government to try to work with that. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
It is extremely important that the Government of the Northwest Territories makes policy with the federal government to ensure that enforcement on reserve lands is a priority. The people who belong to the Northwest Territories, just because we have an affirmed land claim, does that mean we are different, even though we are residents of the Northwest Territories? I would like to ask the Minister: is there a timeline to ensure that there is enforcement on reserve lands?
As I have told the Member here in the House, we need to work with the federal government, and we need to respect the jurisdiction of both the federal government and the territorial government. We are trying to work with them. The Member has been very clear on some of the challenges that they face with ENR and with Lands, so we are trying to work with this. It is a process, and we need to be respectful of the process. Again, it involves EIA, as well.
Does the Minister agree that it's all right for poachers to go on reserve lands and kill wildlife, that they do not enforce anything on reserve lands? I would like to know if the Minister agrees with that. We are members of the Northwest Territories, and we have rights. Wouldn't you agree, Minister?
Please direct your questions to me. Minister of Lands.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. As I have tried to explain here, and maybe I am not getting the message out there properly, there is a process, and we need to respect the process. On reserve lands, it's federal jurisdiction. We need to work with the federal government, Salt River First Nation, and the departments to deal with this matter. I understand it's been a long-standing issue for this Member, from when she was former chief, but we are willing to work with it. We have reached out to the federal government. We are working with EIA on this, so it's March, the whole department is working on it. Madam Speaker, we are working on it.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Thebacha. Final supplementary.
Madam Speaker, the claim was signed in 2002 on June the 22nd. That is 18 years. That is a long time without enforcement on reserve lands. I think it's time that this Minister and the Premier and the executive realize Salt River's goals to ensure that we get enforcement on reserve lands. Wouldn't he agree? Thank you, Madam Speaker.
I will wear my ENR hat here. Yes, I agree we need enforcement in there. We need to do it right, and that means we have to work with the federal government and Salt River First Nation to deal with this matter. I understand it's been since 2002. Again, we need to work with everybody in place so we do it right. I understand the Member, and I am hearing her. We have reached out, like I said, to EIA, Salt River First Nation to have this as a discussion, and we are working on it. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
