Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Whitford on June 8, 1995 regarding regulations re cleaning of caribou carcasses.
Mr. Speaker, the Wildlife Act and regulations are silent with respect to how and where wild animals are cleaned. Attempting to impose regulations on this activity would be extremely difficult to enforce, simply because of the length of the Ingraham Trail and other highways in the Northwest Territories.
The Motor Vehicles Act, subsection 232.(1), makes it an offence to "litter" highways. The intent of this section is to ensure safety for motorists. A frozen gut pile, hide or head is obviously a hazard to them. Hunters are expected to use common sense and to clean their animals where the animal is killed or in the nearest appropriate place. The department encourages people to do this and will continue to do so. If this was done, few gut piles would end up on the roads and in ditches. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.