Evidence of meeting #8 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was sara.
A recording is available from Parliament.
5:25 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
Thank you.
Your time is expiring now, Mr. Armstrong, and we are getting near the end of the meeting.
Mr. Watson, you have the last five minutes.
April 13th, 2010 / 5:25 p.m.
Conservative
Jeff Watson Conservative Essex, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to our witnesses for appearing today.
I have a brief question, and the balance of my time I'd like to cede to my colleague Mr. Calkins.
If I'm hearing correctly, there's a call for increased consultation with first peoples and the government in this process. Yet I know we've heard criticism from other witnesses that in fact timelines are taking far too long to protect species. I'm having a little trouble squaring the circle between the two. I hear the call for more consultation, and it sounds like more time, yet we heard criticisms saying it's already taking too long.
How do we accomplish both in some fashion? Can you take a stab at that for us?
5:25 p.m.
Ikanawtiket Regional Facilitator, Maritime Aboriginal Peoples Council
In 1997 the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples recommended the reconstitution of the original nations of this land so that we can have meaningful consultation in all aspects of our governance. The reason consultation takes so long right now is that, as the National Chief noted, there are so many different bodies. With whom do you consult, and who has jurisdiction or responsibility for this or that?
It is a national discussion that needs to happen, but we still have this insane act on the books called the Indian Act that we're still patching up today. The McIvor case from B.C. is now gone. The federal government has to still put another band-aid on that piece of legislation. It's that whole relationship that needs to be worked out.
5:25 p.m.
Conservative
Blaine Calkins Conservative Wetaskiwin, AB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I have a couple of questions. I don't know how much time we'll have left, but I'm just going to propose this to the Grand Chief.
There is nothing that I can see anywhere that you can't make a recommendation to the various nations across this country to put forward a representative to work as some kind of national committee outside the frame of any national legislation that could provide direct consultation to NACOSAR. That is something you could indeed do without having to change national legislation on that matter. I'll leave that with you.
Also, Mr. Marcel, I do appreciate your comments and your concerns about the woodland caribou and the bison, but my understanding, going back to when I was in university learning from folks like Dr. David Schindler, is that the population of bison in Wood Buffalo National Park is actually a genetically diluted population, a mixed hybrid of plains and wood bison that started when the plains bison were introduced, I believe, in 1925. The concern up there is that the population is rife with tuberculosis and anthrax and there are very small populations that seem to be growing, like the Hay-Zama population of a true wood buffalo or wood bison that need to be protected from coming into contact so that there isn't further genetic dilution of that very valuable pool of genetics when it comes specifically to wood bison.
I'm not sure I understand the nature of your concerns. There are special hunts that are being put on by the Province of Alberta to deal with an ever-expanding population of bison, and it seems to me your testimony would be in direct contravention of that. Who is right in this particular case?
5:25 p.m.
Chairman, Elders Council, Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation
The Province of Alberta will not protect any bison outside of the parks, and that is our problem. The bison has been declared threatened in Alberta. It is not only threatened by the hunter but also by development. Their habitat is being destroyed.
The bison herd I am talking about has been there for as long as I can remember. My grandmother talked about that herd, so we're going back, even in my time, at least 200 years that these bison have been used by my people.
If you start destroying something that is threatened, the only bison you will have left in Alberta will be the ones inside national parks, and in the biggest one there, Wood Buffalo National Park, they are diseased. You can test 50 buffaloes. They will all test positive, every one. But when you do the operation and stuff, not one of those animals is really diseased with. It is the simple contact with one another that spreads it so that the reading will always be positive. If the herd is that sick, you know...it's increased now to 5,000. And it's increasing every year.
Something has to be done at least to get Alberta to understand that the bison that's in the wild in Alberta is a threatened species. Something must be done to protect it.
5:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Bezan
Thank you.
Time has expired.
I want to thank all our witnesses for appearing today. Your comprehensive presentations, your recommendations and of course, the knowledgeable witness testimony that you brought today and the discussion you had in the committee is greatly appreciated.
National Chief Atleo, Elder Marcel, and Mr. McNeely, thank you very much.
With that, I have a motion to adjourn from Mr. Ouellet.
We're out of here.