Silas Arngna'naaq

Roles

In the Legislative Assembly

Elsewhere

Historical Information Silas Arngna'naaq is no longer a member of the Legislative Assembly.

Last in the Legislative Assembly September 1995, as MLA for Kivallivik

Lost his last election, in 1995, with 11% of the vote.

Statements in the House

Minister's Statement 53-12(6): Fur Pricing Program November 2nd, 1994

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to announce the start of a new program for fur harvesters. The fur pricing program improves upon and will replace the existing fur incentive subsidy.

The fur pricing program is part of the NWT fur strategy which is based on our harvesters marketing the highest quality fur they can produce. Through the fur pricing policy, the Government of the Northwest Territories will guarantee to pay harvesters a fixed minimum price for pelts that are in good condition and handled properly. The species included in the program for the 1994-95 harvesting season are seal, coloured fox, Arctic fox, marten, mink, muskrat and beaver. These species were selected because their numbers are healthy enough that they can stand the pressure of increased harvesting.

Pelts that are in poor condition, stretched improperly, damaged or poorly skinned will not be eligible for the guaranteed prices, but this fur will continue to be handled through the fur advance program, as has always been the case in the past. The Department of Renewable Resources will offer ongoing harvester education workshops in all regions which cover proper pelt handling techniques.

This new program is slightly different from the initial proposal reviewed by fur harvesters earlier this summer. The new program responds to the request from fur harvesters that the program maintain the fall payment. This means that harvesters will receive a set amount, according to the price schedule, when the pelt is brought in and a second instalment which will be paid just prior to the start of the next harvesting season.

Madam Speaker, as the government supports northern business and at least one-third of raw pelts are marketed through private fur vendors such as cooperatives, we were careful not to disrupt this market with our pricing. We have set the first instalment to harvesters as near to actual free market price for the pelts as possible. The second instalment will be paid to both harvesters who sell their fur through the Department of Renewable Resources and to those who sell their fur privately. In this way, harvesters who sell privately are not penalized and private fur vendors will not be adversely affected by the government's higher prices for raw furs.

Through the fur pricing program, harvesters of good quality fur will receive an increased price for their pelts, whether they sell them through Renewable Resources or a private fur vendor. The objectives of this program are to entice more people to participate in fur harvesting; to promote the harvest of good quality fur to assist in the market of NWT fur as the best money can buy; and, to provide a fair price to Inuit for seal pelts which, since the mid-1980s, they have not received. The guaranteed price schedule will be revised each year after consideration of current harvest levels, fur bearer population levels, market prices and the potential cost of the program.

Madam Speaker, I believe this new program, which goes into effect immediately, will encourage residents to return to the honourable occupation of harvesting fur and ensure the production of good quality fur to expand the NWT fur industry. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

---Applause

Question 272-12(6): Policy For Walk-in Freezers October 26th, 1994

Madam Speaker, I do not know the name of the person, nor the schedule of the person's travels. I will take the question as notice. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Question 272-12(6): Policy For Walk-in Freezers October 26th, 1994

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to thank the honourable Member for asking me a question. It gives me the chance to stretch.

---Laughter

With regard to the community freezers, at the present time we have a position in the Department of Renewable Resources, put in place by the Department of Public Works, to assess walk-in community freezers; where community freezers are in the Northwest Territories. From this information, Madam Speaker, I'm hoping in the new year we will be able to assess the needs and the process in which these freezers would be made available to communities.

At the present time, this person is going into the various communities. Because of the varied needs of the communities, with regard to size and the amount of space required per community, we have to be careful about how we spend our funds on freezers. I'm hoping we will be able to come to a decision paper for Cabinet sometime in April, 1995. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Question 219-12(6): Departmental Policy For Community Freezers October 20th, 1994

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I believe the review started this past summer. We should have a complete assessment sometime next year, but I don't have any firm dates at this point, Madam Speaker.

Question 219-12(6): Departmental Policy For Community Freezers October 20th, 1994

Thank you, Madam Speaker. For the communities that are making requests for community freezers, at the present time, we are doing a review on this particular policy. We are still receiving requests from communities which do not have community freezers. We're looking at ways in which we would be able to address the needs for community freezers, at the present time. Thank you.

Question 219-12(6): Departmental Policy For Community Freezers October 20th, 1994

Thank you, Madam Speaker. At the present time, we are looking...I believe it's the Department of Public Works which is doing an analysis of the use of community freezers in those communities which do have community freezers; and to re-look at whether the use of community freezers are an efficient means of these facilities. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Question 219-12(6): Departmental Policy For Community Freezers October 20th, 1994

The area in which the Department of Renewable Resources has been involved in the community freezers has been basically to pass it on to the community hunters' and trappers' associations who have been monitoring and maintaining the freezers in the communities. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Question 215-12(6): Investigation Of Stack Emissions At Royal Oak Mine October 20th, 1994

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, there have been initial discussions by the department and Royal Oak Mine. The joint work which has been initiated with mine officials to examine options available to reduce the sulphur dioxide levels in Yellowknife is presently going on at this point. However, I would like to bring together community leaders -- namely. the two chiefs in the area of Yellowknife, the Metis Nation, the Yellowknife MLAs, the new mayor of Yellowknife, representatives of the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, Environment Canada and a mine representative -- to try to come to an agreeable solution to the problems we have with the mine. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Question 215-12(6): Investigation Of Stack Emissions At Royal Oak Mine October 20th, 1994

The results of the applications made by the two individuals have resulted in an investigation of air pollution from the Royal Oak/Giant Yellowknife Mine. It was determined by health officials that there really is no need for concern.

However, they indicated that the department's monitoring stations remain below levels which could cause a significant health risk to the city residents and the sulphur dioxide that could affect human health isn't a concern. These were the results that we received from health officials. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Return To Oral Question 154-12(6): Use Of Radio Collars On Polar Bears October 20th, 1994

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I have a return to oral question asked by Mr. Pudluk on October 17, 1994 on the use of radio collars on polar bears. The particular study the honourable Member is referring to is being conducted in the Alaskan part of the Arctic Ocean. Canadian and American biologists worked from two ice breakers that were travelling to the North Pole from Alaska. Two adult female bears were captured and fitted with satellite radio collars. The bears are being monitored by Alaskan researchers.

Madam Speaker, radio collars are an important tool used in polar bear management. They are used to track polar bear movements and to determine population boundaries. Once this is known, other studies are done to estimate population size in order to ensure that a population is not over harvested. The Department of Renewable Resources will continue to use radio collars whenever they are the best method of obtaining information for managing polar bears. Communities are always consulted before a study using radio collars can begin within the Northwest Territories.

During the last two years in the Northwest Territories, polar bear research and management studies have been focused from McLure Strait east to Baffin Bay. Last fall, radio collars were attached to polar bears in this area. Good information on polar bear movements was collected and biologists began removing collars this fall. The remaining radio collars will be removed next spring. Thank you, Madam Speaker.