Thank you, Mr. Handley. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are addressed to the Premier. Prior to the rise of the House, the Premier indicated he would have an opportunity to meet with his northern colleagues, Premier Okalik and Premier Fentie. He indicated he would touch base with them on the issue of completing the Porcupine herd survey, the Beverly Qamanirjuaq survey, as well as touch base with Premier Okalik on the potential to move towards the protection of the calving grounds in Nunavut. I'd like to ask the Premier if he can update us on whether he's had those discussions and what the substance of those discussions were? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I did have discussions with my colleagues, Premier Fentie and Premier Okalik. We agreed to work together on any future surveys and whatever may be happening and that we would have our biologists work together. Mr. Speaker, I also took the opportunity to meet with the Minister responsible for aboriginal First Nations and Metis affairs in Saskatchewan to talk to him about the possibility of working together, particularly on harvest numbers. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wonder if the Premier could indicate the degree of receptivity that Premier Okalik may have demonstrated with regard to the protection of the calving grounds.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, Premier Okalik seemed very much in favour of working together and agreed to have his biologist meet with our biologist to begin to do that. I didn't sense anything but a very receptive hearing from him. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, would the intention then be for the Minister of ENR to follow up with his counterparts in the Yukon and Nunavut to make sure that we don't lose whatever momentum was built up as a result of the Premier's meeting? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, the Minister for ENR has already started discussions with his counterparts in the Yukon and Nunavut. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of ENR. On Friday I had the opportunity to attend a meeting with the Barren-Ground Caribou Outfitters Association and a number of ENR officials. As well, Chief Sangris was there and some other MLAs. The underlying concern at that meeting was whether or not we are counting the caribou appropriately. I'd like to start off by asking the Minister of ENR, at that meeting there was some discussion about numbers in terms of harvest amounts. In the initial proposal that went to the Wekeezhii Renewable Resources Board, the number was 5,700. Subsequently, ENR has come back and said the harvest -- some animals taken were attributed to the Bluenose herd -- accounted for 535-odd animals, which would reduce the harvest of the Bathurst herd to 5,300, 52 and change. I'm wondering if the Minister, given this new information, would be able to instruct his officials at ENR to go back and advise the Wekeezhii Renewable Resources Board of that inaccurate information that was provided at the onset. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, an application for a judicial review has been filed in the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories regarding reduction of big game hunting tags for the barren-ground caribou. Since an application for judicial review has been filed, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on these issues at this time, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that's quite convenient now that the Minister doesn't have to answer any questions on caribou. I hope that he can answer some questions on funding. The fundamental thing, I believe, is we need to get some more funding to look after wildlife. We need legislation to look after wildlife and we need some support from this government. The Minister, in his statement earlier today, suggested that the federal government is coming up with $150 million for the International Polar Year. How is his department going to try to access some of these dollars to study and count the caribou here in the Northwest Territories?

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we've already identified sources of funding through our budget process that would help us through our biophysical analysis that needs to take place. We also have identified some dollars that we need for the caribou surveys. Mr. Speaker, we have a caribou management plan that has a budget of $8 million that is needed to do a long-term plan, and we will continue to work towards identifying those resources. As part of the International Polar Year that I made a statement on earlier, there are some initiatives that will complement what we're doing. Mr. Speaker, at this point it hasn't been firmed up. Our staff, along with aboriginal governments and other people, are meeting with the federal government and the people from the International Polar Year Committee and they will start looking at the different projects. I wish to assure the Member that caribou is part of the concerns that we've brought forward. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, resources are needed desperately and $8 million was the number that was discussed at the meeting on Friday and I would suggest the government not spread that out and look for any funding opportunity to get the necessary money to get the work done. Mr. Speaker, my next question...Again, numbers were the big thing. This has nothing to do with tags, so I assume the Minister can answer this question. The Ahiak herd is now the largest herd in the Northwest Territories. When -- and, Mr. Speaker, this is the big question -- is the government going to work with the Government of Nunavut to set up a management board to look after this largest herd in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

I'm going to rule that question out of order, Mr. Ramsay, pending it's before the courts right now, hunting of caribou.

---Ruled Out of Order

That's not before the courts.