Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of ENR. You know, many would applaud the decisive measures that the Minister took to protect the caribou and this was not an easy decision, I am sure of that. However, some people out there are unhappy with the decision and feel that people were not properly consulted and that, in fact, this is an infringement on treaty hunting rights. So, Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister today if he, looking back at the situation, can see any opportunity where things could have been done differently that would not have us at this level of acrimony here today over this very valued resource, valued by everyone. Thank you.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First, I’d like to point out that since 2005, and even earlier, since the signing of the land claims up and down the valley, the co-management boards have been working very successfully with the government to look after and make the right decisions with wildlife, including caribou, and even investing significant monies since 2005. We’re now dealing with the issue of rapid decline with the Bathurst herd in the North Slave. Ideally if the Wekeezhii process could have been able to meet its initial targets in October/November prior to this hunting season, we would not be in this situation given the precipitous drop in numbers to look at interim emergency measures. We are fully committed, of course, to the process going forward to look at the long-term Bathurst management plan that’s going to involve, Tlicho, Akaitcho, Northwest Territories Metis. It’s going to spill over and look at the Ahiak, the Bluenose-East, which involves the Sahtu as well as the Inuvialuit. That’s going to be a fairly complex undertaking. The key now is to get through this hunting season without putting any further pressure on this herd which is in a dire state. Thank you.
I’d like to thank the Minister for putting this into a context and a perspective that it is in terms of the specific herd and the management board responsible for that herd. The Minister also indicates that this is an interim emergency measure, which would indicate that this is temporary. Can the Minister offer any explanation as to why these other management boards have been able to be so involved in the wildlife management and what is the holdup and the delay and the deferring of the Wekeezhii board’s work on the Bathurst caribou issue? Thank you.
There are a number of factors here. The Wekeezhii board is part of the Tlicho Government and it’s new. It’s getting up and running. This is going to be its first full test. The other co-management boards have been successfully in place now, in many cases, for decades and have worked out the bugs. They have a good working relationship. As well, the North Slave circumstance is very politically complex where you have not only the Tlicho but the Akaitcho, Northwest Territories Metis, two unsettled claim areas and requires that extra work. So there are all these factors that have been playing together, as well as the fact that the Wekeezhii process didn’t quite meet its targets requiring these interim emergency measures to protect the herd. Thank you.
I’d like to ask the Minister what steps is our government taking now to ensure that this board, this management board, does get up to the same level of capacity and ability to address the caribou in this region. I understand perhaps that the makeup of it is complex and the politics of it are a little bit different, but what can our government do to facilitate this board getting up to the same level of expertise, knowledge and capacity that the other management boards are?
The board, I believe, is working as fast and as fully applying themselves to this issue as they can. They are now looking at being able to be finished their work consultation and such and recommendations that can be considered both by the Tlicho and territorial government by I believe it’s now April or May. In the meantime, the support we’re giving is to do what they asked us to do back in July when they themselves identified the state of the Bathurst herd and the precipitous drop from 2006, 120,000 animals, to around 30,000 in 2009. The need to have these interim emergency measures to protect the herd to allow this process to go through its cycle and looking at being able to then make in a more measured, careful way the longer term decisions that are going to be required to be done through that consultative process all the Members have been talking about.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just one more point of clarification then. This temporary ban that is in place on this particular herd in this specific area, how long does the Minister anticipate that will be in place before the Wekeezhii Management Board will then put measures in place to protect this herd? Just so we put that in context as well, not saying that someone else being responsible for the management at this regional level is going to solve all the problems facing the caribou and the impacts that are causing them to decline, but just as far as this government’s role in having to step up and put this kind of a ban in place. How long will that be in effect?
Of course, our choice would be the shortest time possible, but we have tied the ban to come off as soon as we can get the report from the Wekeezhii board and be able to respond and engage as well, then, with the Tlicho Government, the Akaitcho and the Northwest Territories Metis to come up with a longer term plan. The targets for that report, their recommendations to be done are April or May, at this point.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
