Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today, too, I would also like to use my Member's statement to talk about our caribou and the crisis that the caribou are in. Caribou, Mr. Speaker, is our most important renewable resource here in the NWT, second only to the people of the NWT whose survival is directly attributable to our caribou and our other wildlife. Although there are issues that are before the courts that we cannot discuss here in the House which are directly related to this caribou crisis and the recommendations for recovery of our herds by this government, I feel that it is now time to send a strong message out to the public that each individual's actions to address the declining numbers is a first step towards a full recovery of our herds' numbers.
Mr. Speaker, the coffee shop talk-of-the-day is either about climate change, energy conservation or caribou hunting. I hear about people going out and getting caribou. Being an avid hunter myself, I am never hesitant to ask how many caribou that were successfully hunted. Many people will be glad to tell you just how many they harvested over the hunt that they went out on and what they did with the meat. This is all good information for everybody in the coffee shop because now everybody will know who to go to visit to get some caribou meat. By letting people in the coffee shop know how many you harvested, Mr. Speaker, it is just no longer considered coffee shop talk. This is really very important and vital information on our caribou survival. We all have to show our support for our caribou by being more diligent and informative as to how many caribou were actually taken by informing our local wildlife officers after each successful hunt. With more and better details on exactly how many caribou are actually being harvested by all northerners, aboriginal and non-aboriginal, we can all be confident that any future management actions that may restrict or place certain conditions on sectors of our society from exercising their historical harvesting practices are the right decisions and that we should, and will, stand behind these actions without resolve or reservation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause