Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The harvest of fish, fur, wildlife and forests has sustained our people for thousands of years. As well as meeting subsistence needs for many, if not most, aboriginal people, the use of renewable resources has provided economic opportunities. Last year, for instance, more than 4,000 seasonal jobs employed fishermen and fish plant processing workers, guides and outfitters, trappers and wood cutters, forest fire fighters and tree planters. Additional employment was generated through meat processing, retail outlets and arts and crafts production.
I strongly believe that many more opportunities exist in this economic sector. That is why we have developed our new renewable resource development strategy. I would like to highlight how this strategy is guiding the department's 1994-95 activities.
Identifying economic opportunities is only one part of renewable resource development. You also need to know how many trees and animals there are, and how productive they are, to ensure the harvest is sustainable. That is why departmental staff spend a lot of time and money conducting these studies. As often as possible, local people are hired to conduct or assist in this work. Based on the information collected, subsistence needs are assessed and met before commercial quotas are established.
After determining the productivity and quantity of resources, co-management agreements can be developed in consultation with the harvesters. These agreements identify exactly how people want to use the resources and what studies or work need to be done to keep harvests sustainable.
The process used to develop our polar bear co-management agreements is being seen as a model around the world of how to provide users with a voice in management. We are following a similar approach in developing other co-management agreements, for example, in Liard with forestry, in Providence with bison, and in the central Arctic with grizzly bears. In this way, the expertise and knowledge of local residents can be included in management decisions.
A healthy economy also depends upon a healthy environment. Ensuring that northern activities do not pollute the environment is the rationale for establishing guidelines in 1994-95 for the proper management and disposal of hazardous wastes and an environmental protection policy. Environmental assessment activities, which include review of land use permits as well as project proposals, also have the same objective -- to keep the environment clean. Planning for all projects, even renewable resource development projects, such as a tannery, must consider environmental protection measures.
Once we know how many animals we have, how productive they are, and that we are doing what we can to keep their environment healthy, we can look at additional economic opportunities. One example relates to commercial quotas for caribou and muskox. The lack of a meat inspection system in the Northwest Territories has long been recognized as a constraint to selling meat commercially. Currently, commercial quotas are larger than the commercial harvest. Options for meat inspection systems are being developed. A test muskox harvest in Cambridge Bay last year was very successful in testing some ideas for a meat inspection system suitable to northern conditions. The system is also being tried with caribou on Southampton Island. Once a meat inspection system is in place, consumer confidence in country food will grow and the demand to buy country foods will increase, hopefully.
Assuming Canada is successful in maintaining the European wild fur market, we are working to increase the value of wild furs by building on their reputation as a unique, high quality product. The increased demand should eventually lead to a higher price for our furs and more income for our harvesters. The NWT fur strategy, being released for public consultation this spring, will identify more initiatives to expand our northern fur industry.
More northern business opportunities will be created through forest management activities. Over the next two years, Fort Providence and Wrigley will be able to start small forest harvesting operations based on the inventory work that will begin this year. More tree planters will be needed, as twice as many seedlings will be planted in 1994-95.
The completion of the review of the forest fire management program has also created more northern business opportunities. We have expanded the types of forest fire management services that private industry can provide. Together with the Departments of Economic Development and Tourism and Public Works and Services, we will look at ways to increase opportunities for northern air carriers.
The renewable resource development strategy will promote the wise use of our resources. We must also ensure that they are used responsibly and this, at times, means enforcement. Wastage and illegal harvesting must not occur. The one factor that makes enforcement difficult is that we are patrolling one-third of Canada. For this reason, cooperation with communities is vital. We cannot be everywhere and people out on the land can assist by reporting incidents that may require investigation. We also must work together on the public education of responsible harvesting practices. The Department of Renewable Resources will be reviewing its enforcement practices to determine how we can become more effective.
Mr. Chairman, I must emphasize that our renewable resource development strategy will also support subsistence activities. We intend to continue harvester assistance programs and have made it a principle that subsistence use will always override commercial use. The people of the Northwest Territories have a long history of using our resources wisely. I believe we all intend that this practice continues. I know that our future opportunities depend on maintaining a healthy environment and productive resources.
I look forward to discussing our approach to renewable resource management with you as we review the proposed activities for 1994-95. Thank you.