Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to discuss an important issue that is of concern to my constituents and the residents of the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, I am talking about the recent decline of the caribou. The decline in the number of caribou, in particular the Cape Bathurst, Bluenose West and Bluenose east herds. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources conducted a photo census survey in July 2005. The numbers, to date, for Cape Bathurst are 10,013 to 2,362 from 2000 to 2005; Bluenose West, 74,273 to 20,801; and the Bluenose East, from 104,000 to 66,584 from 2000 to 2005, respectively.
...(inaudible)...and the Gwich'in and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources held a joint meeting in Whitehorse recently, where ENR provided a slide presentation on the recent 2005 caribou photo census survey.
Mr. Speaker, prior to the start of this session, Mr. McLeod, MLA for Inuvik Twin Lakes, and I were briefed by the Department of ENR in Inuvik on the slide presentation, which was the presentation they intended to take to the communities in the Beaufort-Delta.
Mr. Speaker, I understand that the Inuvialuit Game Council, Gwich'in Renewable Resource Management Board, and the Department of ENR traveled to Paulatuk and Tuktoyaktuk to discuss this 2005 survey.
Mr. Speaker, the decline of the caribou numbers is of concern to the Beaufort-Delta and, as well, the rest of the Northwest Territories. I have spoken to an elder, and one item of interest is probably migration changes, but, most importantly, may be the survey process; for example, helicopter use or fixed wing may be one of the many factors for caribou migration patterns.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, this is a concern to all residents, and I compliment the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in traveling with the aboriginal claimant groups to discuss the 2005 survey. I look forward to seeing the recommendations from the consultation process, and also the next photo census survey that will be conducted in 2006 of these herds. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause