Thank you,

Mr. Chairman. I am pleased to provide details on Bill 6, Species at Risk (NWT) Act. Protecting and conserving our wildlife species is a major priority for NWT residents. Protesting species at risk ensures these resources remain to meet our needs today and in the future. Bill 6 meets our obligations under the National Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk to provide effective protection of species at risk in the NWT in a manner appropriate to our unique circumstances. We began development of this legislation in 1999, with extensive public consultation. This first phase, from 1999 to 2003,

laid the groundwork of the establishment of the Species at Risk Working Group in 2005. The working group had members from the four land claim organizations, the four wildlife co-management boards and their legal counsel. The working group worked collaboratively with ENR staff in the drafting of the legislation to ensure land claim provisions were properly address. Establishing legislation that provides for a northern approach to protect and recover species at risk to update and enhance wildlife management legislation is critical to ensuring we have an environment that will sustain present and future generations. The NWT is home to wild species that are considered threatened to the rest of the country. Wood bison, for example, are listed as threatened under the federal Species at Risk Act, but as we are all aware, wood bison populations in the NWT are relatively healthy. We need to manage this species at risk in a way that recognizes its difference and allows people to benefit from our healthy populations. This proposed legislation allows us to do this and provide the extra level of protection that the few species at risk in the Northwest Territories may require. It also recognizes our unique system of wildlife management. As Members are aware, management of wildlife resources is shared by three levels of government -- federal, territorial and aboriginal, depending on the species -- and by co-management boards established by land claim agreements. This proposed legislation respects aboriginal and treaty rights and integrates roles and responsibilities established under settled land claim and self-government agreements as well as the importance of traditional and local knowledge in managing species at risk. We believe Bill 6 provides a uniquely northern approach to managing species at risk and builds on existing and future land claim and self-government agreements and provides a real opportunity to involve NWT residents in wildlife management. The bill establishes a conference of management authorities which sets out a formal process of collaboration among all management authorities leading to consensus on decisions about species at risk. This northern approach will serve as a model for cooperative management in other wildlife management legislation, such as the Wildlife Act. We worked closely with land claim organizations and co-management boards to develop this legislation and have their support. We also spent a considerable amount of time consulting partners and stakeholders in this legislation. We believe that the time taken to develop the Species at Risk (NWT) Act has resulted in comprehensive legislation. It involves residents in cooperative

management and will provide effective protection for species at risk in the NWT. Finally, Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure for the report and recommendations to improve Bill 6 and provide guidance for the current process to revise the Wildlife Act. Thank you.