Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Northern history stretches back over thousands of years, a rich and full history. Through that history, rich and full as it is, the caribou and the aboriginal people march over time, over the centuries linked together, as my colleague Mr. Lafferty indicated. It is very critical that we recognize that fact. As a government, we are aware of that link, of the need to respect that and we intend to do that, but there has never been a time in the past as there is right now where the pressures on caribou, on this Bathurst herd, are so great. The caribou need our help. We have to be there for them, but we can do this as well as respect the aboriginal right to harvest and we can do both. This is not one without the other, because there is an inextricable link going back for the centuries.
Mr. Speaker, it is simple. We must make the right decisions in the short-term to allow the longer term process to take place with the Wekeezhii, with the Akaitcho and with the Metis, and we are committed to that. We just want to make sure, as all have said, that future generations in fact have caribou to harvest, to tie to their culture, to their spirits.
We have heard, and we are listening very carefully here, to what we’ve heard today and we are very close. The Tlicho, the Metis, most of the South Slave people agree that this is a necessary step. We are working with the Yellowknives, we are very close, and we must not forget all the good work that’s been done up and down the valley by the co-management boards as they’ve dealt with these very, very difficult issues.
As we get through this hunting season, and I’ve indicated this before as well, we are going to be engaged in a process and it’s going to be very difficult as the Tlicho, the Akaitcho, the Metis and the other stakeholders try to come together to have a Bathurst management plan. That is going to be our challenge going forward past this hunting season.
I thank all of my colleagues for their comments. It’s all been very helpful. I think it’s very good for the people of the North to hear this. Two things bring out the passion in Northerners I’ve noticed over the years as an MLA: water and caribou. Today it’s caribou. So thank you all very much. I thank the mover of the motion, the seconder and as this is direction to Cabinet, while we’ve had our say and a chance to provide our feedback to the people and to this House, we will await the direction from the Members and we will be abstaining from the vote. Thank you.