Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, as a result of a motion limiting debate, Bill C-68 will be given third reading in the House of Commons. Two amendments have been introduced by our MP, Jack Anawak, who says he will vote in favour of the bill, and by Minister of Justice, Allan Rock.
One amendment made by Mr. Rock will exempt Inuit subsistence hunters from the borrowing or lending provisions of the bill. Although it goes a little way towards recognizing the way northern people hunt, often as a collective enterprise, this amendment still leaves us with many problems.
First of all, it is only subsistence hunters who will not be charged for borrowing or lending a firearm. To date, subsistence hunting has been very narrowly defined by the courts and by officials. Many of our aboriginal constituents are active hunters but they are not classified as subsistence hunters because they have jobs where they earn more than $30,000 a year.
Secondly, another class of northern hunters, non-native hunters, many of whom live with and hunt with aboriginal people, are completely left out of this amendment.
The end result of this amendment is that it will create three classes of hunters in the NWT: aboriginal subsistence hunters who will be lucky enough not to be charged for borrowing or lending firearms, although they still will not be exempt from registering their guns; and, aboriginal hunters who have jobs, who, along with non-native hunters, will be charged for loaning or borrowing firearms without permits and permission. Three classes of hunters, two sets of rules.
A more serious problem is that even if a hunter is lucky enough to be in the narrow class of people who will be exempt from the rules for borrowing or lending, no aboriginal hunter will be exempt from the requirement to register rifles and have a permit to buy a rifle. My constituents consider these compulsory registration provisions to be a major infringement on their ability to hunt and pursue a life on the land. For families who own a lot of firearms for the various seasons and species they hunt, compulsory registration will be a major hassle. It is misleading to pretend that it will not be a major inconvenience and interference with the traditional outdoor lifestyle and the ability to purchase and sell firearms as tools used in pursuit of the renewable resources economy. This amendment does nothing about compulsory registration and the huge amounts of money which will have to be spent so wastefully in the north trying to make an unworkable system work.
The other amendment made by Mr. Anawak adds a new clause stating that Bill C-68 does not take away from aboriginal or treaty rights. Mr. Speaker, I don't want my constituents to think that this amendment will save them from the application of Bill C-68. I would like to be, with unanimous consent, allowed to conclude my statement today.