Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources questions about species at risk, the caribou. My first question is: what actions will be taken for the species at risk, and will those actions impact Indigenous hunters? Thank you.
Masi. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with the species at risk, the caribou, there is a committee called the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, and they make recommendations on species at risk. We work with them to try to come up with a territorial plan as to how we can implement that or what steps we need to take to have the protection of the caribou.
There will be some impact on Aboriginal hunters or Indigenous harvesters, but we have actually just gone through a plan that we are bringing to Cabinet in the next Cabinet meeting, and then I will share that with the Regular Members. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I was wondering if the Minister could advise the House if the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has a regular working relationship with the specific federal department that is responsible for species at risk.
In addition to the committee that I mentioned before, we do have a Species at Risk Committee within the Government of Northwest Territories, and we are close to them. If the federal committee decides that a species is at risk, then our Species at Risk Committee would have to determine how we would come up with a plan to protect the species that have been identified. I believe we have a representative who is on the federal committee, too, but I will confirm that and let the Member know.
I wanted to ask if the federal government did consult with ENR on species at risk, but I guess my question would now be: does the GNWT or ENR have equal say in whether or not they are going to place a species-at-risk designation on the various species in the NWT, specifically caribou in this case?
We try to work with the federal government, but, ultimately, the federal government will decide if a species is at risk, and then we will work with them plus our Aboriginal governments across the Northwest Territories to see how best we can mitigate the effects on the species that have been identified.
Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am trying to get into more of the traditional knowledge, so I want to ask the Minister: while considering which species to be put on this designation, do the Aboriginal governments or Indigenous governments in the NWT have equal say as to the actions that are going to be taken by this group or by the federal government or by a group between the Minister's department and the federal department? Thank you.
We rely a lot on traditional knowledge, and I can assure the Members of this House that there is extensive consultation with the Aboriginal governments. On the caribou, for example, we had sent out a number of requests. We got, I think, 147 responses back through various stakeholders, including the Aboriginal governments, so there is an opportunity there for them to have their input as we put our plan together as to how we are going to mitigate the fact that the federal government determines the species at risk. We work closely with the Aboriginal governments.
I have to give a shout-out to many of the Aboriginal governments. A lot of them recognize that caribou are in low numbers. They have shown some leadership and determined that there was going to be no harvesting from within their own organization until we come up with a plan, so a shout-out to some of the Aboriginal governments that have shown some leadership. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
