Thank you, Madam Chair. In respect to the budget for this year, we’re setting the stage for the next four years. I’d also like to take the time to commend the department in terms of leading the charge, so to speak, in terms of the development of a Water Stewardship Strategy. I think that’s a very big plus. I think more than anything I would expect, through the association and support with First Nations, a very unique template in terms of water monitoring, water legislation, ensuring we always have access to fresh water. At the same time, it’s standardized so that it is publicly safe to consume and that the public has the confidence that we’re looking after the interest of the larger public, their safety and their overall health. I would really like to commend the department on that.

Of course, as we proceed forward, there are some other matters I think the department could maybe focus on. Another point I wanted to make is the Biomass Initiative is a very good initiative that complements communities and regions. It ensures the development of the forest sector. It provides opportunities for local businesses and local expertise, in conjunction with regional and district centres, to provide an alternative to find the cost of energy too much. We’re creating an option for them. I think that’s a very positive initiative that I hope will flourish as we proceed to doing this term of the 17

th Assembly.

There are a couple of things that I’m kind of concerned about. Maybe I’ll spend a little bit of time trying to highlight them and then end off with some key things that I think are fairly reflective of comments of the Deh Cho constituency.

One of them is on the Wildlife Act. The Wildlife Act we’re going to revisit. This is something that’s been ongoing for some time. The greater interest that we should be focused on is we’re trying to meet the interests of all groups of the North and ensure we have bountiful wildlife. There is also the maintenance of subsistence culture activities. At the same time, we also work with the sport and recreation people that bring opportunities to big game outfitters that make their livelihood out on the land and bring tourists from all over the world to the North. We need to balance that. Of course, the department is very cognizant of some of the regional circumstances we have, such as regional land claims that have negotiated, with the federal government, certain provisions respecting that governments don’t abrogate or derogate their treaty and Aboriginal titles. So I think it’s something that will more likely come up as a discussion at some point on the Wildlife Act. But I think we have to be fairly optimistic. I think the department more likely, in the end, will come up with a stronger document that people will all agree to.

The other initiative that I think is fairly strong in the communities that I represent is tourism and just the potential as they look forward to the completion of the bridge. With the decline of sport hunting of caribou in the Barren Lands, we have more people from the North Slave region looking into the Deh Cho for opportunities either to hunt or to create business opportunities to create lodges for sport fishing or sport hunting. Of course, that puts pressure on the local populations for business opportunities. For harvesting it puts more pressure in terms of the sustainability of the natural resources that we have. Of course, with the coming of the bridge, we’ll have more access to the south of the Deh Cho and the north of the Deh Cho, and we’ll have more likely increased traffic and, at the same time, more marine operations in terms of people jumping in their boats in Hay River or Yellowknife and going down the Mackenzie. So I think people will more likely put constraints on the natural resources. Even, for that matter, sports fishing. For those reasons, I really think at some point the department needs to engage with the community in terms of monitoring efforts to ensure sport fishing is sustainable and that we all keep that in mind.

The last point I wanted to make is it’s my belief that this government should have a very integral role and critical role as Canada, as the Canadian government moves forward within two years to take over the chairmanship of the Arctic Council. I think we shouldn’t leave it to the feds to look after the interests of the Northwest Territories. This government needs to ensure we create a path of leadership ensuring northern interests are heard at the table, that we have at least a say how the agenda will be determined, and that we have a greater interest because we make the North our home. Through that, I think we need to make alliances with the northern communities that have the same ecology as we do and ensure we partner up with them. Based on that, I think we have some very unique plusses and one of them is this concept of traditional knowledge. I think First Nations have some very unique observations in terms of trying to balance that out with scientific knowledge and ensuring there are levels and efforts to ensure that the environment is sustainable and at the same time the wildlife population are at least monitored and protected. With those thoughts in mind, if we could play a greater role in the Arctic Council through the department and the GNWT and try to at least lay some foundation on how we’re going to be involved, I think some discussions of that nature would be very positive.