Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The proposed legislation also establishes a Species at Risk Committee (SARC) to assess the biological status of species that may be at risk in the NWT. This assessment would be based on traditional, community and scientific knowledge of the species. The committee would include members appointed by co-management boards and members from areas without settled land claims, who would be appointed by the Minister. Members of SARC would
have significant traditional, community or scientific knowledge about northern species and would act independently from their appointing agencies. SARC would make recommendations on the listing of species and on conservation measures for the consideration of the management authorities. SARC will not consider socio-economic effects in its assessment.
The standing committee heard from industry representatives that the SARC should consider socio-economic effects in its species assessment reports. Under the proposed legislation, socio-economic effects, along with biological status of the species and results from any required consultation are considered by the Conference of Management Authorities when attempting to reach a consensus agreement on listing.
The standing committee members agree with proposed legislation which focuses on the biological status of that species based on the best available traditional, scientific and community knowledge. This provides a foundation on which the Conference of Management Authorities can then consider other issues that may be impacted by listing and protection measures, including socio-economic effects.
Concern About Timelines
Other presenters questioned how efficient these structures will be in carrying out their prescribed responsibilities. They were concerned that the process could lead to significant delays in identifying species at risk and in establishing management and recovery plans.
The standing committee members recognize that the proposed timelines for the various processes under the proposed legislation are lengthy and in some cases can be extended. In order to address this issue, the legislation proposes that if the Species at Risk Committee recommends that a species should be listed as being at risk, the species is considered a “pre-listed” species and conservation measures can be put in place immediately. The standing committee is satisfied that this will provide the necessary protection measures for species at risk until a final management plan or recovery strategy is approved and implemented.
Concern About Resources
The majority of presenters supported the proposed management and assessment structure. However, they cautioned that in order to make co-management work effectively, the Government of the NWT must provide adequate resources to implement and maintain the process. Concerns were also raised as to whether the Government of the Northwest Territories could afford the proposed management and committee structures, particularly during this period of reductions in government
spending and revenues. Standing committee members agree that new resources will be needed to implement the proposed legislation.
Recommendation 1
The standing committee recommends that the government should closely monitor these costs and implement ongoing evaluation measures to ensure the process operates efficiently and in a cost-effective manner.
Recommendation 2
The standing committee also recommends that the Minister should review the implementation plans for the Conference of Management Authorities and the Species at Risk Committee with the standing committee.
With that, I would like to pass it on to Mr. Bromley.