Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Gwich’in and Inuvialuit people have been harvesting for thousands of years in the Mackenzie Delta, Beaufort Sea area in regard to their ability to sustain themselves in regard to hunting, trapping and fishing. Mr. Speaker, throughout the history of the North we have seen where communities were built where peoples’ camps were located, where they raised their families by way of hunting and fishing.
Mr. Speaker, throughout the Northwest Territories, these sites still exist. Families still enjoy the summers, going out to their fish camps or going out to their trappers’ cabins to continue on with their subsistence harvesting, but, more importantly, carrying out a cultural way of life.
Mr. Speaker, this government must do everything it can within the government, within its departments, and must acknowledge and understand the importance of subsistence harvesting for the aboriginal people in the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, whenever there’s a conflict between government priorities or government initiatives which has a direct implication on subsistence harvesting, regardless of affecting someone’s ability to set a net, in regards to where a family’s cabin was for hundreds of years, where people have harvested in those locations, and more importantly, where the land claim agreements have specifically identified areas of special harvesting for those aboriginal groups in those areas.
Mr. Speaker, I’m talking about a particular conflict that I’ve been dealing with for the last number of years, along with the Minister of Transportation and the Department of Transportation, and it’s in regards to the Nazon camp on the Inuvik side of the Mackenzie River, which was there long before the highway was even built. This is a camp that continues to be used by the Nazon family every summer to fish. Yet, Mr. Speaker, the last number of years the government has moved the ferry operations closer and closer to the camp’s embankment and the locations where they used to set their nets.
Mr. Speaker, this government has to acknowledge, find ways of resolving these disputes and not to have to continue to stand up in this House and talk about something that all it will take is the Department of Transportation to move back to where they’ve been offloading their ferries for the last 15 years and, more importantly, move 50 yards down the road, or 50 feet down from where they’re located right now, so you avoid this conflict.
Mr. Speaker, I will be asking the Minister of Transportation questions. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
