The Speaker Samuel Gargan

The Member for Yellowknife North is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Conclude your statement, Mr. Ballantyne.

Michael Ballantyne Yellowknife North

They've made a presentation to the Minister to start work on a school in Ndilo, starting off kindergarten to grade 3 but over a period of time having kindergarten to grade 8. The Minister has been open; there's been a lot of support from the Catholic school board, and I think there is a lot of possibility.

I think it's very important for the people of Ndilo. They feel that if they can run the school down there, they can get the parents involved in the school, they can bring the support mechanism to get the kids to school and make sure the kids are successful.

Their intention, ultimately, is to have these successful kids come out of grade 8 and enter the Catholic high school in Yellowknife and go on to whatever career choices they may want to make.

At some point, they are looking at belonging to a Treaty 8 education division, and I know again that the Minister is open and flexible about how, over a period of time, these aspirations can be met.

The people of Ndilo have always felt, just because of the status of their community, that they've been isolated from Dettah, which has a different status. So we are looking at ways that the education programs between the two communities can work more closely together.

So, during the course of the next couple of days, as we discuss the Education Act, there are other meetings happening with the Minister. The Minister has indicated to me and to other MLAs that he's open to finding a solution to allow the people of Ndilo to take more control over the education of their am looking forward to a successful conclusion of those discussions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you, Mr. Ballantyne. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Pudlat.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

The Member for Baffin South is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Conclude your statement, Mr. Pudlat.

Kenoayoak Pudlat Baffin South

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members of this House. I will not make a lengthy statement, but I just want to thank the Members, especially seeing as this is our last session. I would like to thank the Members of the Legislative Assembly for assisting me and for helping me with whatever I need.

I would like to thank all the Ministers as well for being able to respond to the numerous requests that I have made. I would like to thank the previous Speaker and the present Speaker for allowing me to speak. I would especially like to thank the staff of the Legislative Assembly for assisting me, even though I cannot speak English. I would also like to thank the people in my community who assisted me. I would like to thank my constituency assistant in Lake Harbour. She's always available whenever I need some assistance. I would especially like to thank the interpreters because I have to use them on a day-to-and I day basis during the session. They were able to accompany me whenever I had to go travelling with committees or on other assignments I had to attend to. So I would like to say thank you very much to the interpreters for helping me and assisting me for almost four years.

I know we have met numerous times in the House this year, because we have to deal with legislation for the betterment of the people in the Northwest Territories.

Also, I would like to thank the people on the Legislation and Finance committees. Lastly, I would like to thank every one of you. I will see you again tomorrow. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you, Mr. Pudlat. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Dent.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Zoe.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you, Mr. Zoe. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Antoine.

Jim Antoine Nahendeh

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is no quota on Dall Sheep in the Mackenzie Mountains. This is the only place in Canada and the United States where there is no limit on how many sheep are hunted by big game hunters. There is no way to monitor the sheep, except from the outfitters

themselves. This is what we are told. We have to believe what the outfitters tell us. An outfitter could book 100 hunters in one zone, and they could take 100 sheep out there and there is no real control. This is the concern that I've heard from different people in my constituency; the problem of overhunting the sheep in the Mackenzie Mountain ranges.

There is a real danger for overhunting in the big game hunting zones. This could be detrimental to the animal population in the mountains, west of the communities I represent. This is a traditional area of a lot of the Dene people. An outfitter could hunt an area hard for a few years, then sell out the area for enormous profits. These zones have become assets to the people who are the outfitters.

There are four types of big horn sheep in North America, and the Dall Sheep is one of them. The others are very well controlled, I'm told. For example, in British Columbia, each area is regulated by quotas. The local biologist determines how many sheep could be taken out of an area; lot's say, eight or 12 out of a hunting zone. This is the quota for one hunting area and it is very well controlled.

Mr. Speaker, in order to determine quotas we need to survey and count the animals in the mountains, especially the sheep, on an annual basis. The government will say there's no money, so I would like to make one suggestion, Mr. Speaker: let us place a higher fee on each of the non-resident hunters who come into our area so they could pay for the survey and counting of these animals. For example, in order to pay for the survey, let's say $1,000 per tag for each non-resident hunter. This is a request for support in this area, Mr. Speaker.

Another problem I have is that there is a request by big game hunters for grizzly bear tags now. Here again, I have to oppose this because I need to know the status of the population in the Mackenzie mountains of the grizzly bears before I approve anything like this.

Mr. Speaker, my time has run out. I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Mahsi.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

The Member for Nahendeh is seeking unanimous consent. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Please proceed, Mr. Antoine.

Jim Antoine Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The problem is not only with sheep, Mr. Speaker, but has to do with moose, caribou and the different animals in the mountains. We don't know how many there are and there is really no good way of surveying them. There are occasional fly-over surveys, but that is not good enough, Mr. Speaker.

Historically, Mr. Speaker, big game hunting zones were practically given away in the 1970s by the Commissioner of the day. There were five zones and now there are more; there are eight, I believe. Now, we're stuck with the outfitters who control these hunting zones and mountains. They are the only ones allowed to take non-resident hunters into the mountains and the aboriginal people are cut out of the deal. These outfitters all live in the south, Mr. Speaker, and though they are available for sale for enormous amounts of money if they become available, the amounts are impossible for the aboriginal people from the communities to have access to.

Mr. Speaker, recently there was a meeting in Fort Simpson where aboriginal people and leaders met with the outfitters from the mountains. As a result of this meeting, some decisions were made that there would be closer cooperation between the outfitters and aboriginal leaders. Hopefully, this will improve the situation and help the concerns of people in my constituency. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause