Thank you for that question.
I've had the privilege of working in a number of Arctic communities in my career, both as a consultant and as a wildlife manager with the Government of Canada. The experience of interviewing hunters and trappers in remote communities has always been a very exciting opportunity for me, to learn more about that strong real connection that individuals, extended families and, indeed, communities have with the natural resources around them.
Self-sufficiency is a key theme for all of us, and it's particularly evident in the case of hunting and fishing families with whom I've spent a fair amount of time in the bush, and have travelled with, acquiring country food, sharing that country food, celebrating the value of that country food, and sustaining that commitment with those animals that have helped their families and their forebears not only survive but thrive, in some cases in extremely hostile Arctic environments.
There's a tremendous amount of anthropological data that's in place with respect to the spiritual connection that human beings have with wild animals and the animals they harvest. That's particularly the case with hunting communities worldwide. In Canada, as was mentioned earlier, half our trappers are aboriginal, and those individuals certainly have testified extensively with respect to the importance they attach toward wild food and trapping in this country.