During the life of the 15th Assembly there was much discussion in the House about the plight of the caribou throughout the N.W.T. We have pressing matters facing the 16th Assembly in the early stages, but I’d like to again bring attention to the plight of the caribou, because I believe that we’re coming into a critical situation that needs our attention and needs some action taken quickly.
There had been much discussion regarding the caribou numbers and how we came to those numbers. Questions were asked of the government about how they came to these numbers and if traditional knowledge was used.
I’ve heard stories of hunting practices that continue to concern me. Too many caribou being killed, a lot of wasted meat — just the hind quarters being cut off — and shooting off roads and ice-roads and the highway. I do understand that caribou are a way of life to many residents of the N.W.T., and I’d never tell people not to hunt caribou. But I do ask them to show some wisdom and ensure that our grandchildren’s generation enjoys a way of life with the caribou that we’ve been fortunate enough to live through.
Mr. Speaker, harvesting caribou is part of our traditional way of life. Hunting with high-powered snowmobiles, sport hunting, hunting with trucks and hunting off the highway is not a traditional way of life. Hunting with dog teams, with snowshoes, breaking trails — now, that’s a traditional way of life. And I admit I have been just as guilty as the next guy, because I have hunted with snowmobiles; I’ve hunted off the highway. So I’m not pointing fingers at anybody.
Mr. Speaker, the caribou has sustained our people for generations. Now the caribou need our help, and we have to do what we can to ensure their survival so that our grandchildren can enjoy the way of life with the caribou that we’ve been blessed with. Let’s not hunt the caribou into a critical situation or to extinction so that all we have left to share with our grandchildren are stories and memories about the once-mighty herds across the N.W.T.
Mr. Speaker, I’ll have questions for the Minister of ENR at the appropriate time.
