Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the issue of the high cost of living in the North has always been the basis for many exchanges here in this House. This government has been both at the receiving end of the cost of living concerns from northerners for their own actions and, at the same time, advocating on behalf of northerners to the federal government about the high cost of living and why resource revenue sharing and devolution are important to addressing this concern.

Mr. Speaker, it can be argued that the cost of living in the North can work both for us and against us, depending on which area or department we are looking at. But, overall, I do not see any significant changes in many support programs of government that reflect or cater to offset the changes in a household's real cost of living. One such program which comes to mind is our support for traditional economies in the NWT, namely trapping, hunting and fishing.

Mr. Speaker, I am aware and commend this government that has made some significant improvements and positive changes that better serve the needs of trappers and fishermen in the NWT. Increases in trapper training and life skill programs within our schools, and working towards the modernization of our fishing industry to better compete on the global economy are just some of these positive steps taken. The area I want to bring to the attention is to the area of hunting and harvesting of big game, namely caribou, moose, muskox and bison.

Mr. Speaker, we can all agree that the high cost of living in our communities is definitely kept at bay by wild food that is hunted and gathered by many families in our small communities to offset these high costs of food prices at the local level.

Mr. Speaker, I want to emphasize this important contribution harvesters make to our culture and our communities, and keep this government moving forward on initiatives which will assist northern hunters and harvesters in determining and managing the short and long-term effects harvesting has on certain big game species. In other words, establishing reliable, concise and accurate baseline data is paramount to achieving a sustainable traditional economy and information from the community being the most reliable source. I would encourage our government to develop a comprehensive strategy to move forward a hunting and harvesting policy framework that incorporates the small community perspective and traditional practices. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause