Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I have a few comments on the opening remarks from the Minister. I’m obviously pleased to see the mini-hydro in Lutselk’e. I think it’s something that will be very positive in the long run for the community as far as the cost of power in that community goes. I think mini-hydro should bring the cost of power right down which will have a very positive impact on the cost of living in Lutselk’e.
Just more on the amount of money that’s spent on the forest fires, I know that is a huge budget and I know that it’s a huge operation, fighting fires across the Territories. Maybe using some of the traditional knowledge...I think that the department is a lead in the area of wildlife management, so I think traditional knowledge can also be used for fighting fires. I recognize the department has a long history with fighting fires and they recognize and have a good ability to value the risk and determine whether or not those values should be protected.
I’m pleased that they’re continuing to do the Barren Ground Caribou Management Strategy and also the development of the Wood Bison Management Strategy, I think those are two very important species for the Northwest Territories and for the supply of food for the people in the Territories. I wonder if it wouldn’t be wise to expand beyond the Bathurst, Cape-Bathurst, the Blue-Nose herds and also include in the strategy, I suppose the Beverly Qamanirjuaq, Ahiak and the Porcupine caribou herds. I think that especially the BQ and the Ahiak herds do mix with the Bathurst and possibly even the Blue-Nose herds, and I think that the Porcupine herd also has an impact on the NWT. The Porcupine herd, I think, are based out of Alaska. I think that’s where their calving grounds are, however, they do spill into the Territories when they move off their calving grounds and so on. I think that in order to get a holistic shot of what really the condition or the numbers of the barren ground caribou are, I think it’s important to look at the BQ and the Ahiak herds as well.
I would also like the department to somehow during our government, during this Assembly, complete the Wildlife Act and the Species at Risk Act. I think those are very important tools for the management
of wildlife in the Territories and how they make decisions on what type of species will need protection aside from always having essentially being governed by the Species at Risk Act that is federal and that sometimes doesn’t fit well with the herds. Well, not necessarily the herds, but the species that the Northwest Territories or the Environment and Natural Resources is protecting.
I’m pleased with the traditional knowledge implementation. It’s good to see the department implement the Traditional Knowledge Implementation Framework. I think that’s very valuable. I think that the traditional knowledge will give us a lot of information on especially the caribou. Caribou seems to be a very key species in the Territories, and I think that science and traditional knowledge a combination of both of those systems will allow us to get a better handle on what we can anticipate for the caribou herds in the upcoming years.
I think there is some history with some of the people that have lived off the caribou for years, even down into Saskatchewan where at one time there was no caribou at all, they came back, and now they seem to be lessening again. Also, even in this part of the Northwest Territories, at one time there was no caribou coming down here at all and sometimes people indicate that it could be the food and some of the traditional knowledge people say that it is a cycle that should be coming back and cycling every 30 years or so. The herds will go up and down and so on. It might be interesting to apply both of those.
I will have some questions in the detail on the Beverage Container Program. I think that adding milk containers might be a good recyclable product. I like the idea of plastic bags and trying to work to lessen the use of the retail plastic bags. I think that is important. I thought that the department would expand beyond that. I think that, at one time, we had travelled to the Yukon. I think they recycle tires over there, and I think that there are a few things that are in abundance that are no longer being used, tires being one of them. Maybe computers being another thing that could be recycled. I think we have warehouses full of computers that are obsolete. There is a lot of, I guess, product there that maybe could be sent somewhere to be reused, rebuilt, recycled.
Aside from that, I think a good department, I like the work that they do in environment, wildlife management and so on and I look forward to the detail. Thank you.