Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure is pleased to provide its report on the review of Bill 6, Species at Risk (NWT) Act and commends it to this House.
Introduction
The Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure is pleased to report on its review of Bill 6, Species at Risk (NWT) Act.
Bill 6, Species at Risk (NWT) Act, set out the processes to identify, protect and recover species at risk in the NWT. The proposed act will apply to any wild animal, plant or other species managed by the Government of the Northwest Territories. It will apply everywhere in the NWT, on both public and private lands, including private lands owned under a land claims agreement.
Bill 6 received second reading in the Legislative Assembly on October 24, 2008, and was referred to the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure for review. The review process began on January 19, 2009, with opening comments from the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. The committee then conducted public hearings on Bill 6 in the following communities:
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Yellowknife on March 30 and April 6, 2009
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Dettah on March 30, 2009
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Fort Resolution on March 31, 2009
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Fort Smith on April 1, 2009
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Fort Simpson on April 2, 2009
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Fort Providence on April 3, 2009
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Norman Wells on April 7, 2009
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Tulita on April 8, 2009
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Inuvik on April 9, 2009
A list of persons and organizations which participated in the hearings is attached at Appendix A. In addition, several organizations submitted written comments to the standing committee. The written submissions are included in Appendix B. This report reviews the concerns identified through the public review and provides information about the views of the standing committee.
Background To Bill 6, Species At Risk (NWT) Act
National Accord For The Protection Of Species at Risk
In 1996, all provincial, territorial and federal governments responsible for the management of wildlife agreed in principle to the National Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk. Under the accord, jurisdictions agreed to work together to provide effective protection to all species at risk in Canada and to help those species recover. The accord includes a number of commitments, including a commitment by each jurisdiction to put legislation and programs in place to protect species at risk. The Government of the Northwest Territories signed the accord in 2004.
Federal Species At Risk Act
The federal government passed its Species at Risk Act in 2003. The federal act establishes a process to assess and list species at risk at the national level, including migratory birds, fish and marine mammals. If a species is listed as threatened or endangered under the federal legislation, protection
measures apply immediately anywhere in Canada. The federal government has management authority for fish and migratory birds, wherever they occur, as well as management authority for wildlife in national parks, migratory bird sanctuaries and national wildlife areas. Federal protection measures include automatic prohibitions against the killing, harassing, harming, buying, selling or trading of any threatened or endangered species and protecting its residences.
Territorial and provincial governments are responsible for managing other species such as land mammals, amphibians, reptiles, non-migratory birds and insects. Under the federal Species at Risk Act the appropriate jurisdiction is responsible for providing protection to species that are listed at the national level. It also contains a safety net provision whereby if a jurisdiction does not provide effective legal protection, the federal government must step in to protect the species.
At this time I’d like to pass the floor over to my deputy chair, Mr. Jacobson, to continue with the report.