Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to thank the Member for sharing that information. Again, it just points to the importance of the fact that the Aboriginal governments, and I'm going to use this opportunity again to commend the Tlicho Government for taking a leadership role in the preservation of the caribou herd that they've hunted for hundreds of years. They work closely with ENR on a mobile zone. This is how it's going to work. They have a lot of respect for the caribou and they've taken some steps as a government to limit the number of caribou. As you get into some of these projects or proposed projects, obviously there's an environmental assessment that they have to go through and then they will gather all that information to help with their decision making or their final decisions. All of this is taken into account.

Again, I appreciate the Member sharing his experience and the information that he was able to gather during his time with this House. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister McLeod. Mr. McNeely.

No further questions. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. McNeely. Next on the list, we have Mr. O'Reilly.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Let's start with boreal caribou. In the business plan, it says that the National Recovery Strategy is legally required and has to have at least a minimum of 65 per cent of undisturbed habitat. The next sentence says that currently approximately 66 per cent of the Northwest Territories range is undisturbed. We have a 1 per cent margin for the boreal caribou habitat remaining undisturbed to meet the National Recovery Strategy requirements.

Boreal caribou are important. We have this 1 per cent disturbance sort of limit that's out there. In the budget, though, boreal caribou monitoring is going to be cut by $150,000. Can someone tell me how much money remains for boreal caribou monitoring after this cut? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Minister McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the Member is correct. There is a legal requirement for 65 per cent, and we're at 66 per cent, but that number changes as we get some new previously burnt areas coming back on stream. I have to add our 1 per cent is actually quite large compared to the other jurisdictions, but his point is well taken.

The $150,000, we're just trying to get the number here as to what's left in the budget, but I can inform this House that we are working with Environment and Climate Change Canada for funding under the Federal Species at Risk Act. These funds will be used to complete the Range Planning Framework We haven't got an exact dollar figure yet, but my early understanding is going to be significantly more than $150,000. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister McLeod. Mr. O'Reilly.

Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Minister McLeod.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, because the federal government declared this a species at risk, I mean, they are going to fund the monitoring of the caribou, and my understanding is it is going to be significantly more than the $150,000 that is being reduced. We will have the necessary appropriation to do all of the monitoring on the boreal caribou, and I will turn it over to Dr. Dragon to add on to some of the Member's other points that he raised. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister McLeod. Dr. Dragon.

Thank you, Dr. Dragon. Mr. O'Reilly.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Okay. We have some hints that there might be some federal money coming, so that gives us reason to cut back our contribution to boreal caribou monitoring? That just doesn't make any sense to me. I am going to leave this one for now. I do not think this is a good cut. I think it is another one that is being made for Cabinet's fiscal reduction strategy that is not evidence-based. I do not know why the department is doing this. It does not make any sense whatsoever. I want to move on, though, to barren-ground caribou, and there is a line item in the business plan that reads: "Continued well-being of the Bathurst caribou herd related to the Jay Pipe Project," and it's $310,000. The Minister talked about it in his opening remarks as well. Why is GNWT paying this money, and not Dominion Diamond? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Minster McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I am going to respond to the Member's first point about the boreal caribou and the $150,000 reduction, and then I am going to go to Dr. Dragon to add to the Member's second part. Again, it is not a hint that we are going to get money from the federal government. We are certain we are going to get money from the federal government, and when we do get that money, I will be happy to sit down with committee and share that amount with them. We are very confident in this, and I do not think it ruined this just because it is a reduction. I mean, some of the savings realized here are able to be used in other areas of Environment and Natural Resources. We would not do this if it was just a hint, Mr. Chair. We are confident that we are going to get money, and it is going to be significantly more than $150,000. I will be more than happy to share that amount with the Member when we get the amount, and then I am going to ask Dr. Dragon to add on to the Member's comments about the Bathurst caribou herd. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister McLeod. Mr. O'Reilly.

I thought I was going to hear from the deputy minister, but the clock is going to run out on me here, Mr. Chair, and I guess I need to go on the record. The Minister of Infrastructure has said twice in this House that environmental considerations have played no role whatsoever in the routing of the Slave Geological Province road to date, so I want to confirm with the Minister: have his staff been involved with the Department of Infrastructure in looking at the routing of the proposed road? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Minister McLeod.

All right. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, well, first of all, I am not sure if I have heard the Minister of Infrastructure say that environmental conditions will play no part in the route to the road. I would have to confirm that. I mean, I will look it up. I will just type it into one of the websites, and I am sure that information will come up. I am going to get Dr. Dragon to talk about the work that he has done with the officials at the officials' level. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Minister McLeod, Dr. Dragon.

Thank you, Dr. Dragon. Mr. O'Reilly.