Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would be remiss if I did not talk about mushrooms at least once this session. Mr. Speaker, morel mushrooms attracted a lot of visitors to my riding last year. People from all around the world flocked to the Deh Cho to pick mushrooms. Never before had we seen so many people camped along the road north of Providence and in the bush. Mr. Speaker, this is the second summer after the forest fires of 2014. Are we expecting a better crop of mushrooms this summer? A buyer has settled in the bush past the Chan Lake Tower and vehicles are parked alongside the road toward the North Arm. I understand there are more harvesters around Kakisa as well. My constituents tell me they had to install last year's signage so that people wanting to pick morel mushrooms do not stampede into the community unexpectedly. My constituents are concerned about this year's harvest. CBC North recently ran a story on the harvest thus far. It seems prices are down from last year. Other parts of Canada experienced forest fires too and there could be a large supply of mushrooms this year. Residents do not know much about what we expect the morel mushroom activity in the Northwest Territories to be. ITI has not contacted the community. My constituents tell me that when they talk to ITI, the staff people can't answer their questions. It seems the GNWT is taking a laissez-faire approach. The draft Forest Management Act, which should have included a provision respecting non-timber forest products to help regulate vegetation, such as mushrooms, was not included, thus sent back to ENR for further study. Mr. Speaker, while the people of the Deh Cho are working on governing our land area, the people of Kakisa feel there is no respect for what they are working toward. KTFN leaders are always dealing with conflicts, particularly related to land and resource use. They are aggravated by the absence of mechanisms to legally recognize Indigenous rights and title, and an apparent disregard for the Dehcho Interim Measures Agreement. Mr. Speaker, we understand the interest in the mushroom harvest and, to a certain extent, appreciate the opportunity and activity it brings to our region. But as a government, we must address some serious underlying issues around land use and the logistics of having so many people camping in the area. We must respect the rights of First Nations people, protect the land of the NWT, and respond effectively so Northerners can benefit from this industry and First Nations' land interests are upheld. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Sahtu.
