Okay, thank you. Thank you. I know this will take a political will. As a result of the restriction that is in place, when you look at it, it just seems like, okay, Tlicho people are allowed to go hunting once a year because of the restriction. At the same time, I know there's lot of us, you know, we do respect the work that was done by the Indigenous government and by the knowledge-keeper and the boards regarding the conservation as noted. We do respect that. But the current mobile that is in place right now, it's almost the size of the 39,000 square kilometres. That's the size of Tlicho land. And as reported before, it's almost the size as Nova Scotia. That's the mobile zone. That's the current mobile zone that is in place. Just want to know if there is a way the department can reduce the zone to give people a chance to harvest caribou for their families and communities.

Like I said yesterday too, Gameti ice road, winter road is open. So those people are going to be travelling. And the Wekweti too, it's going to be -- the ice road is going to be opening soon. It is in the process. So the department needs to take into consideration when the people go hunting, they're coming from a long ways and there is a wear and tear on their hunting equipments. There's the snow machines; you know, like the sled. Everything, toboggans. There's all kinds of things that has to be taken into consideration. But these people are providing for their families in the small communities, and it's only once a year. So people in the small communities, they are already struggling as it is with the high cost of living. And the restriction, it's a burden; we know that. It is a burden for lot of people. So that's not the only problem that I have -- or not that I have, but many of my constituent have, because I just talked to somebody today and said the seizure of caribou and of their hunting equipment, that's a problem for them, you know, because they're not coming from, like, a short distance. They're coming -- some of them -- like, in order to travel from Behchoko to all the way there is, like, 12 hours. So they're going from a long ways. And even like with the GNWT health status report that I said the day before in my Member's statement, there is not enough jobs in the communities. So how can people make a sustainable living without their hunting equipments? So we have to take that into consideration. There's not enough jobs, and then not enough money for them to pay the court to, you know, to get their -- for their hunting equipment and all that. So there's not enough. So we have to take that into consideration too. Also the cost, the court cost. That's what I'm talking about. And just like yesterday when I was talking to one of the young parent, she said if my husband was not -- my spouse was not a hunter, a trapper, and a fisherman, my family would be starving.

And lot of the small communities, they rely on the country food. And right now, because of the restriction that is in place, like I said we do respect, you know, the work that are being done, but what people would like to see is that -- from my conversations -- and I talk to Shane -- to the Minister's assistant today before too. So what the people would like to see is that to give them a chance to reduce the mobile zone, give them a chance to go hunting to provide for their families and the communities. At least give them time.

I know you guys are going to be following the regulations. You're going to be saying, okay, well, we have to follow, we have to call Wek'eezhii, all those other people, you know, that are part of the regulations. But the assistant said it's going to take, like, at least 60 days to, you know -- to get the word out. But we don't have 60 days. By the time that you guys do something about it, hunting season's going to be over and -- well, not the hunting season is going to be over, it's just that the winter road is going to be out so it's -- there's no -- how are they going to go travel to the tundra? So that is the problem.

So what I would like to see is that if this government -- if the government, the RWED, can reduce the mobile zone, give people a chance to go out hunting for their families and for their community, harvest caribou before the ice road close. So that's what I would like to see. That's what the people are asking. So that's why I am addressing it as it is now. Thank you.