Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to use my Member’s statement to discuss the decision made by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to ban the importation of polar bear hides into their country.
In May 2008 the United States government listed the polar bear species as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. This action prevents importation of polar bear hides into their country. Because of this provision under the U.S. Marine Mammal Act, this decision will effectively wipe out the sport hunting industry in the communities in my riding.
U.S. groups are exploiting the polar bears as a symbol for climate change and a lightning rod to globalize lobbying efforts and opposition to the oil and gas industry in the U.S. and Canada.
Mr. Speaker, the public in the South believes that polar bear populations in the NWT are in grave danger. We have over 2,500 polar bears in the Northwest Territories, and they are a healthy population. This is why Canada does not have the polar bear listed on its species of concern.
In the Northwest Territories the management of polar bears is coordinated through the Government of the Northwest Territories with the Inuvialuit co-management boards. This arrangement was established under the Inuvialuit Final Agreement. In the NWT hunting seasons, quotas and protection of family groups are enforced by law. Within the total quota, the hunters and trappers organizations decide how many tags will go to the allocated sport hunts and how many will be given to local hunters for subsistence hunting.
Mr. Speaker, I cannot make it any clearer: we manage our polar bear herds very well, because they are important to my people. An average of 37 guided sport hunts are conducted for polar bears in the Arctic region. U.S. hunters contribute about $1.6 million annually to our communities, where up to 40 per cent of families live on less than $25,000 per year. These are large numbers for my constituency of only 3,500 people.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
Unanimous consent granted.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. This decision made by the United States government will have serious impacts on my people.
I would like to thank Minister Bob McLeod for asking me to join him this summer in Washington with my colleague Mr. Krutko. In Washington we met with various senators and congressmen in order to share my people’s message that the polar bear populations in Canada are healthy.
I know that with the pending U.S. election we are unable to get any changes to the ruling, but I want to let my people know that I will continue to work with the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment to get this decision reversed. Ultimately, Mr. Speaker, my aim is to persuade the U.S. government to introduce an amendment to allow import of polar bear hides into the U.S.
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
