Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I guess if we were to call any community and community representatives in any community in the Northwest Territories today, I believe they wouldn't tell you that there was a caribou crisis or a lack of any caribou available for harvest. That gets back to the management plan. The numbers that are in the management plan are causing some concern amongst outfitters, amongst local hunters and even harvesters. I don't know why it was done in the way it was without a plan to monitor, to track the other herds that are in the area. It's almost impossible when you have one herd in the middle of four other herds to know which caribou is which. I asked the Minister yesterday if he'd take a look at putting this plan, I called it shelved yesterday, but just putting it aside until the department comes up with a plan to manage the entire caribou population on the mainland here. Today the department doesn't have a plan to manage the entire caribou population. It's so hard to manage one without knowing what's going on with the other ones. The calving grounds change from year to year and I know the Minister's own biologist will tell him that. The calving grounds change, the herds are changing and are interspersed. So again, where are we going with this management of one of our greatest resources? Thank you.
David Ramsay on Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
In the Legislative Assembly on February 23rd, 2005. See this statement in context.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 22nd, 2005
Page 1500
See context to find out what was said next.