Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I at this time would like to rein in regarding the caribou issue. I believe for one involved in the land claims negotiations going back 15 or 20 years, I think this
was the fundamental element of the Dene-Métis claim; realizing that they wanted more than just hunting rights. They wanted to have the ability to manage the wildlife, manage the forest, manage the resources through an instrument like a land claim to ensure that they do have the tools to be included, be able to consult with their members and, more importantly, to be involved in the decision-making of policies before government makes the final decision. Allow them to work themselves into systems that allow for the renewable resources board, working with the community renewable resource councils, working with the harvesters, and working with the organizations that are out there. At the end of the day aboriginal people have been maintaining their lifestyle for 10,000 years because of caribou. The importance of caribou that there is on aboriginal culture in the Northwest Territories is important and critical to who they are.
I think it’s essential that this government looks at those instruments and those land claim agreements that have worked in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, that have worked in the Gwich’in Settlement Region, that have worked in the Sahtu region, and now in regard to the Tlicho communities to ensure that those instruments, and those instruments that aren’t in those other regions, work with those harvesters, work with those aboriginal leaders to clearly demonstrate that we are a consensus government in the Northwest Territories.
We try to work things out, we talk things through, we find solutions to these problems, and not impose restrictive measures on people that get their dander up because they’re upset. If you’re going to take someone’s rights away, at least allow them to be consulted, be involved in that decision, so when the decision’s made we have unanimity, we have people onside, we have people knowing what are the options, what are the alternatives. We’ve done that in other areas. We have the Bluenose situation in the Beaufort Sea area in regard to working out with the Bluenose Caribou Management Board from the Sahtu, the Gwich’in, the Inuvialuit, to come up with a regime where we have allowed for tags to be issued to communities in regard to that herd so you know how many tags are being used, making sure they have the ability to use those tags. But more importantly, Mr. Speaker, is to find a solution to this problem through dialogue, not enforcement of the powers of a Minister…