Debates of October 24, 2006 (day 14)

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister responsible for the Environment and Natural Resources just with what I was talking about earlier in my statement on addressing the hardships that people are going to start feeling here. The winter is coming and cost of living is going up. Rent is going up. Arrears are going up. Their main meat source is getting scarce. I am wondering if there have been any recommendations brought forward or any plans on how this government and how much it is going to cost this government to start addressing some of these hardships that local hunters and providers in all of our small communities are going to start feeling the brunt of with our declining caribou numbers. Is there anything that is coming out of the department? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. The honourable Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Handley.

Return To Question 171-15(5): Barren Land Caribou Management Practices

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No, we don’t have any exact numbers of what resources would be necessary and what special efforts would have to be made. We are looking for information from all of the regional management bodies. Hopefully, we can deal with it with their advice. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Villeneuve.

Supplementary To Question 171-15(5): Barren Land Caribou Management Practices

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think there has to be some sense of urgency with the government on moving on some action to kind of mitigate the real impact that the dwindling numbers of caribou are going to have on people that rely heavily on caribou as their main meat source. Is there going to be any interim changes happening; maybe an increase in income support or what avenues do we have? I know that the advice from the Wek'eezhii Renewable Resources Board was made to the government in how they are going to address this issue. What are we going to do about it in the short term over the course of the next six months, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Mr. Handley.

Further Return To Question 171-15(5): Barren Land Caribou Management Practices

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are always aware of the difficulty people have in accessing caribou meat, where they depend on it. The most immediate thing we can do in the short term, of course, is to ensure that our income support offices are aware of the situation, are able to take that into consideration when they make allocations to people. Mr. Speaker, I know that it is difficult. It is more than just an income issue. It is also an issue of wanting to have the wild meat that people have a desire for. Mr. Speaker, over time we will work it out, but in the short term, in terms of emergency efforts, it would be largely through income support. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Villeneuve.

Supplementary To Question 171-15(5): Barren Land Caribou Management Practices

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can I get some commitment from the Minister that he will instruct the Department of ECE that provides income support that, perhaps, they should start broadening the eligibility requirements to specific cases of why people need income support; i.e. gas money, food, money to buy shells, hunting materials and stuff like that? Can that be included in income support in the short term, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Mr. Handley.

Further Return To Question 171-15(5): Barren Land Caribou Management Practices

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Member’s advice. Mr. Speaker, we will have to talk with ECE. Our people are already doing that. We will be talking with ITI with regard to meat replacement. We will be talking with other departments as well because it does involve, in fact, departments like Health and Social Services. Mr. Speaker, we are hosting a caribou summit this winter. We are hosting workshops I think as early as November on hardships associated with the declining number of caribou. So those are all efforts that are being made. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Villeneuve.

Supplementary To Question 171-15(5): Barren Land Caribou Management Practices

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just with respect to the caribou conference that is coming up early this winter, can the Minister provide a brief outline of who is going to be included in this workshop? We just can’t have a caribou management workshop to address these caribou management issues that is solely going to include just the NWT. It has to be even more circumpolar almost to come up with a good plan to address the declining caribou, because caribou don’t recognize any borders. Can the Minister commit to the House and to the people that he will include everybody in the circumpolar regions that do have caribou or reindeer that they will be included or invited to this conference? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Mr. Handley.

Further Return To Question 171-15(5): Barren Land Caribou Management Practices

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Certainly, the proposed conference includes participants far broader than just the GNWT. Mr. Speaker, it will include co-management boards, aboriginal governments, outfitters, resident hunting organizations, Nunavut, Yukon, Saskatchewan, Dene Nation, regulatory boards, of course GNWT departments, people from ITI, Education, Social Services and so on, industry people and NGOs, caribou management boards, and Members of the Legislative Assembly will be invited. So we are keeping it as broad as we can. We are probably looking at 100 to 150 delegates and our intention is to get as much good information as possible and also to develop more understanding of the management plan as well as what is happening to our caribou herds.

Mr. Speaker, as far as going broader internationally on circumpolar, that is something that I will talk to the department about. But we hadn’t contemplated going to countries with reindeer, for example. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.