Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will now provide some comments on the renewable resource development strategy that I mentioned earlier.
Hunting, trapping and fishing have always been honourable occupations among our people. For thousands of years, these were the only occupations we needed to survive and in which everyone participated.
Today, we have many more choices for making a living and many of our people, especially our young people, cannot support themselves. Our government wants to review this.
In the Northwest Territories, we have an abundance of natural resources that provide many opportunities, and the challenge to our government is to help create opportunities and more opportunities encouraging people to take advantage of them in retaining these resources for our children and grandchildren to use and enjoy.
Our strategy is one step our government is taking to provide people with a choice of futures. The strategy recognizes that subsistence use can provide benefits similar to those in wage employment -- food on the table, wood to heat the house, clothing, building materials and so on.
The strategy also supports the commercial use of renewable resources. The focus of the strategy is on creating seasonal employment opportunities that are community based. I believe this approach is more suited to how our people live, especially in the smaller communities where other types of employment are few.
Through this strategy, we are examining the potential for growth in six renewable resource sectors: Wildlife, forest, fur, fisheries, agriculture and marine mammals.
We estimate that the annual value of the wildlife harvest can increase from $37.4 million to $57.2 million and still be sustainable. The value is based on the commercial harvest of meat, hunted/sold by outfitters, and the replacement value of meat harvested for personal use.
The potential growth results primarily from increased harvest of several abundant muskox and caribou populations. Over 400 residents are licensed guides for big game hunts, and increasing harvest could add another 100 seasonal jobs.
The forest sector is already demonstrating significant growth. In 1993-94, the value of the annual timber harvest increased from $3 million to more than $9 million. This growth is increasing the revenue to our government from stumpage fees to almost $250,000. Harvesting timber and conducting forest management programs provide over 300 seasonal jobs.
In recent years, the annual income in the fur sector has declined dramatically. We believe that this trend can be reversed. Already this year, fur prices have increased 30 per cent over last year. We are confident that we can increase fur prices even further by marketing our superior fur separately from other jurisdictions.
The first draft strategy will contain more opportunities for benefit to harvesters.
The fisheries sector has also been demonstrating growth, especially in the marine fishery. Already about 1,200 jobs exist relating to catching or processing fish and guiding sports fishermen. The challenge here is to ensure that fish harvesting remains sustainable. Through my participation in the Atlantic Council of Fisheries Ministers, I will continue to remind the federal government of their responsibility for maintaining our fish stocks.
The agriculture and marine mammal sectors are currently valued at $1.2 million and $5.2 million respectively. The primary value of these two sectors is in reducing the import of food. At one time, the seal harvest provided a year-round livelihood for many people. We firmly believe that the market for seal products can be revived. Through this strategy, we will investigate options for achieving this.
The strategy contains actions that the Department of Renewable Resources intends to take over the next few years. The public will be given the opportunity to comment on proposed actions, as each sectoral strategy is released. We hope to hear, through public consultation of the individual sectoral strategies, like the NWT fur strategy, how people wish to use renewable resources and how our government can best assist them.
I'm prepared to work with Members of the Legislature to ensure that the strategy will support the needs of the constituencies. I believe the strategy is necessary to diversify and stabilize the northern economy. Its strength lies in taking advantage of what we have in our own backyard and in applying our traditional skills to develop new opportunities. We need to provide our residents with more choices and opportunities for earning a living that is suited to our unique northern cultures and resources.
I intend to work closely with my colleagues to ensure that opportunities in renewable resources are considered as part of the investing in people initiative. I will also provide Members of this Legislature with copies of the sectoral strategies, as they are prepared, so we can work together on our common future. Thank you.