Thank you, Mr. Chairman. There was a concern raised by international communities that polar bear trade for the Northwest Territories relating to the Inuit is approximately a $1 million economic benefit to the Inuit. There is an international agreement of which Canada is part of the signatory, a member for the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species. Polar bear is on schedule two of the endangered species list which requires that the animal population be monitored and managed to justify harvesting. We have to justify harvesting if we are to have these polar bears. If CITES is not confident that management is exercised then they move the species to schedule one, which prohibits international trade by signatory countries in that particular species. This would mean that sport hunters could not take polar bear furs out of Canada, therefore the economic value of polar bears to communities would decline drastically.

As I mentioned earlier, Mr. Chairman, five of the 12 polar bear populations are declining from over harvesting. Current information on population statistics to date is expected in six of the areas. Therefore, funding is required to establish a 20 year rotation inventory on polar bear populations. As a result, the local management agreements are developed to ensure public input and participation in decisions regarding management, such as setting quotas of polar bear populations.