Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. (Translation) Mr. Speaker, I want to make a statement on caribou management. (Translation ends)
...fish for a living. In this way, we practice our traditional lifestyle and eat a healthy diet rich in our country foods. For the Tlicho people, hunting is not a hobby; it's a way of life, Mr. Speaker. The caribou herds are declining and it's getting harder and harder to find them. The Cape Bathurst herd has declined from an estimate of 17,500 in 1992 to an estimate of 2,400 in 2005. That's a huge decline, Mr. Speaker.
The Bluenose herd has declined from an estimated 104,000 in 2000 to an estimate of 66,600 in 2005, Mr. Speaker. Because the caribou are disappearing, wolves and grizzly bears are becoming a problem in our communities, as you have heard in the latest news. It's becoming a huge problem.
Wolves are attacking pets and dragging them off. The wolf population is probably stressed from not finding enough caribou to eat as a source of meat for them, so they are coming closer in contact with humans, Mr. Speaker, into communities.
Residents can kill as many wolves as they want. ENR is proposing to double the tags for non-resident wolf kills. Predator management plans will help us save our caribou, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of ENR needs to sit down with the Tlicho communities and discuss the best way to handle the predators that are moving into our communities, Mr. Speaker. We need to discuss the shrinking caribou population and how we can manage this situation together. For the Tlicho, Mr. Speaker, the caribou are much more than a sport; they have always been part of our way of life and they will always be, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi.
---Applause