This is page numbers 3981 - 4022 of the Hansard for the 16th Assembly, 4th Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was caribou.

Topics

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Unfortunately, I didn’t catch the end of that answer. I know that the Minister recognizes that any aboriginal has the right to hunt, and I know that he also feels that the ban that was put in place is justified, but I’d like to ask what he and the department are doing to provide opportunities for hunters within the Wekeezhii Renewable Resources Board area to get the caribou that they need for their communities. Thank you.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

With the Tlicho, my understanding is that they’ve had at least two, if not more, successful community hunts already outside the no-hunting zone. We’ve worked with the communities. We’ve gone out. They’ve harvested caribou. We’ve assisted them. They’ve brought the caribou back to the communities to be passed out to all the members and it’s been a very successful, cooperative process. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Your final supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess I have to ask the Minister, if it’s a very successful and popular process, I would suggest that’s probably not the case for the residents of the Yellowknives in Dettah and Ndilo. So could I ask the Minister for clarification: do we have residents within the Yellowknife area who are happy with the process and happy with the outcome? Thank you.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Our offer has been there from the start to assist the Yellowknives to ensure that they have an opportunity to exercise their right to harvest in areas outside the zone so that we can continue to protect the Bathurst herd during this very critical year. There is other work underway. We’re waiting to have some feedback from them, but we are committed to trying to resolve that issue with the Yellowknives. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have some questions for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources regarding the steps and process put into place regarding this caribou issue. Mr. Speaker, I have constituents of

First Nations background who say to me that some of their people are going hungry. I have constituents who own outfitting lodges that now they can’t bring in people to hunt these caribou and they say they’re going to go hungry. Mr. Speaker, the reality is if you depend on this, people are put at risk. I’m curious as to what steps the Minister has put into place to demonstrate gradual steps as opposed to just cutting everyone off and saying no caribou. Did the Minister set up a self-management, independent step where groups could monitor themselves and manage themselves at a lower incremental rate to still protect the caribou? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the challenges for this part of the country is there is no harvest management plan for the Bathurst herd. We know that back in 2006, when the numbers were about 100,000 to 120,000, the red flags were raised. Three years later, we’re down to around 30,000 animals. We are now in what I would call the red zone. There is a requirement for constructive action, which we have taken. We recognize the need to accommodate that. We have done that. We recognize there’s an impact on businesses. ITI is working with that. There are funds in the budget to help offset and then look at other measures to look at work that may be different and not tied to the caribou. There should be no reason for anyone to go hungry. The opportunity is there. It’s working in the Tlicho. We can sort something out with the Yellowknives. The key is to protect the Bathurst herd to ensure that future generations, in fact, do have a resource that they can continue to harvest. Thank you.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Mr. Speaker, if this was on the radar for so long, why didn’t the Department of ENR manage what I would define as a sustainable hunt? And I would balance it equally between the local, traditional people who need to hunt this for food as well as, of course, the business type of people such as the outfitters who depend on this, who hire local people, and that meat goes to food. Mr. Speaker, we have two large impacted groups that if this was in the red zone continually, why wasn’t early on a number identified so these groups could work together and find a manageable balance? Thank you.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

There were some clear signals given when the outfitters’ tags were initially reduced. The signals got worse as the census information came in. Once again, I’ll point out the complexities and challenges in this part of the Northwest Territories where you have the Tlicho Government with their Wekeezhii process and

unsettled claims areas sharing and harvesting from the same herd along with other stakeholders from the south. There was no clear consensus and plan. We’re now past the point of being able to take a long, thoughtful look at this. There was a requirement for action to protect the herd and we’ve taken that measure. Thank you.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Mr. Speaker, quite simply put: when did the Minister go out to, whether it’s an aboriginal hunting organization, if I may define them in that way, such as the chiefs or the bands, and certainly with the outfitters of saying what could be your bare minimum that could get you through the winter until we can get these types of boards such as the Wekeezhii board to make that decision? When was that type of discussion going to take place or when did that discussion take place by empowering them to make the decisions for themselves as opposed to government flying in and saying you’re done? Thank you.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Mr. Speaker, late September we had a press conference over here in the meeting room when we had the results that came in from all the work that has been going on doing the herd census. At that point we indicated at the table with the grand chief of the Tlicho as well as the national chief for the Dene Nation, the Tlicho chiefs, and we raised the issue and put the numbers on the table, that this herd was in critical condition, that by the end of December 31st , we had

to come up with some clear measures that we are going to protect the herd to allow them to survive. The plan was to have the Wekeezhii process meet that need. Unfortunately, that process is still underway and will not be concluded until sometime in April or May. In the meantime, the required action, which is why we used -- after great thought and careful consideration -- the authority that we have to respond to emergency measures when it comes to conservation issues like this. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Mr. Speaker, I try not to impress upon anyone that I am an environmental scientist in the area of caribou study in no way or no matter, but the reality is I am sure that there could have been an identifiable number said that we can find a minimum. That is what I am talking about; about making sure that people can eat and people can fulfill some of their traditional lifestyles without the government impeding on that type of philosophy. Mr. Speaker, is it too late for this government to find a balance to work out with the First Nations people of this area as well as finding a way for outfitters to survive through this crisis? Everyone is going to be left miserable in this process. Thank you.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Mr. Speaker, everything I have seen indicates to me that there is no amount of sustainable harvest on the Bathurst

that will allow the herd to survive at this point. We have made other arrangements. We have had and do have offers to help hunt outside the no-hunting zone. There are a couple of herds that, for this year at least, can sustain some extra harvest, the Bluenose-East and the Ahiak. Our hierarchy is set up. When there are restrictions, we start with removing the commercial harvest, the outfitters, the resident tags, and we work very hard and long to protect the aboriginal harvest. That is what we are doing in this case. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In Edmonton at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, there is a weight loss clinic. From time to time medical professionals have referred Northerners to those services at that clinic. There is a very accurate unit, I believe. It is for people who have weight issues that affect their health and their well-being. Mr. Speaker, I have heard from two constituents and also had spoken to Mr. Hawkins, I believe, who has heard from a couple of constituents as well, that the GNWT Department of Health and Social Services is no longer funding the provision of services to these constituents at the weight loss clinic. I would like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services if this was a deliberate policy change by her department. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Minister of Health and Social Services

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is not a change of policy, but it is about adhering to the policy. Weight loss procedure is not an insured service. It is not something that is covered anywhere in the country. Under our health care coverage, we pay for hospital and doctor services. Most of the situations we know of are not being done at a hospital setting. Mr. Speaker, our policy does allow for exceptions. It would have to go through a doctor’s coverage. We are working with the doctors to have a very clear clinical guideline on that. As well, in the interim, we are looking to see how we could come up with our own program to assist those who are extremely obese, and obese in a way that affects their health status, and the department is working on coming up with a program on that. Thank you.

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

Mr. Speaker, so the Minister indicates that there has not been a change in the policy, that in fact in adherence to the policy that did exist. When my constituents began to receive services through a referral to the weight

loss clinic at the Royal Alexandra Hospital and are now being told this is no longer, was it an error that they were referred there for surgery and medical attention in the first place? Was that referral made by someone who didn’t know what our policy was? Why now, in mid-treatment, is there a change in the support they received? Thank you.

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Minister of Health and Social Services

Mr. Speaker, those procedures should not have been approved. I cannot go into the details of the individual files, but we have at least half a dozen cases we know of. If we look into the details, we will find that the services that these clients were going to were not in a hospital or in a medical facility but in a private program like YWCA in Edmonton and such. We have to follow the Canada Health Act. Our health care covers hospital and doctor services. I know that there are lots of other services that people would like us to pay for, but we need to follow our policy and pay for what is covered under the Canada Health Act. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

Mr. Speaker, so it sounds like some people managed to be referred and receive that support from the Northwest Territories, but now this error, I suppose, in policy has been caught. I am going to ask the Minister if it is possible that, since it would be difficult for these constituents, then, to carry on and complete the service that they were receiving through this Edmonton facility and I have to assume from what the Minister is saying that this may be a private clinic at the Royal Alexandra Hospital and not a hospital itself, is there a way that these few cases could be grandfathered and carry on receiving their service to the conclusion? Thank you.

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Minister of Health and Social Services

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier, the department, along with the medical community, is reviewing this program to come up with a plan that could assist its patients. I would recommend the Member and any Members in the House to have names of constituents that they would like us to consider in this review. I would be happy to receive them and get back to the Member separately. Obviously, this is not something I can talk about here. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Final supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.