Environment Committee on May 7th, 2015

[The Chair, Conservative, Harold Albrecht]

We'll go now to our five-minute round, beginning with Ms. Leslie.

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

I'm going to pick up on the line of questioning that Mr. McKay started, around the federal piece here, because we are members of Parliament and this is a federal committee on the environment. We're legislators and, as a legislator, I'm looking for the policy solutions here or the policy asks.

I don't know who just answered about migratory birds. Was that Mr. Walz?

[Evan Walz]

That was me.

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Okay, thank you, Mr. Walz.

You said that migratory birds is the only area in which you still have federal involvement. That's pretty interesting to us at this committee. What is our role here other than for migratory birds? Is there a role for the federal government?

Earlier there was some discussion by Cabela's. They were talking about structuring harvest reporting and ensuring a proper harvest. Maybe I'm wrong, but I imagine that is a provincial or territorial responsibility, and I'm trying to figure our the role here for us as federal legislators.

Maybe I'll start with the Government of the Northwest Territories, because I assume you'd be looking for an active federal partner. What does that active federal partner look like?

[Evan Walz]

I'll have to get Jamie to speak to the history of the holdover of migratory birds being under federal legislation. Everything beyond that is under our jurisdiction.

Jamie, can you speak a little to the federal involvement in migratory birds, or is that something we just sort of inherited?

[Lynda Yonge]

I can.

[Jamie Chambers]

Thank you, Lynda.

[Lynda Yonge]

The federal government still completely manages migratory birds and issues the licences because of the international Migratory Birds Convention Act. Canada and the United States have this agreement about how migratory birds are managed.

Because migratory birds are migratory and they pass through various parts of Canada and the United States, it's much bigger than any one jurisdiction. That's why the federal government still maintains control there.

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

I understand that. What is the federal role beyond migratory birds? How would you describe a partnership with the federal government when it comes to hunting and trapping, or is there a role for us here?

[Evan Walz]

Regarding the relationship we have with the federal government around hunting and trapping, as I said, the only real level of involvement that they have at this point in our NWT history is in relation to migratory birds. So they have a fairly narrow level of involvement.

Go ahead, Jamie.

[Jamie Chambers]

We work with Environment Canada when it comes to movement of wildlife across borders and stuff, with CITES and WAPPRIITA. I don't remember what the acronyms are exactly, but we do work with Environment Canada on those things when it comes to movement of things like polar bears, wolves, and other species across Canadian borders.

[Lynda Yonge]

I think, really, the role for the federal government isn't so much a regulatory one as one of support. There are hunters and trappers all across the country; it's a segment of our economy that is a little hidden. So I think we'd be looking more just for general support of that lifestyle, of participation in that, and not so much from a regulatory perspective.

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

I guess that's what I'm trying to get at here. Obviously there's a federal role with migratory birds. Obviously on first nations issues there's a federal role, so the federal cabinet will be involved when it comes to aboriginal harvest.

With regard to that support role, is that research? Do you need more coordination when it comes to habitat loss, or impacts of climate change, or what's happening in other jurisdictions?

[Evan Walz]

We have enjoyed federal support in a number of areas. We recently presented to the standing committee regarding the federal support received around biomass in association with climate change. That is something we certainly look to continue. As Linda said, we need general support for some of the actions and the lifestyles, but not necessarily from a regulatory perspective.

[Lynda Yonge]

Certainly from a research and monitoring perspective, we do work with Environment Canada on various aspects of wildlife population research and habitat research. In those areas we have found it a little bit difficult, because federal programs tend to focus on habitat loss and how to deal with that. I'm thinking particularly about species at risk programs and other Environment Canada programs, whereas in the north that isn't our big issue, so we often don't qualify for federal support.

We do a lot of work in the area of polar bears, and it's extremely expensive. Environment Canada has been involved in that work, and we would look for continuing support in that area.

I would say it's more wildlife research and support rather than actual hunting and trapping research.

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Harold Albrecht]

Mr. Toet, go ahead for five minutes, please.

[Lawrence Toet, Conservative, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Thank you to our witnesses.

Just to pick up a little bit on the federal role in this, Mr. Walz and Ms. Yonge, would you not agree that some of the federal roles are actually or actively being played out? There's a lot of humane trapping research being done through Environment Canada in Vegreville, Alberta. The government also plays a very major role in the international marketing of furs and seal products and also does advocacy on the international front for that. So I think there is a major federal role in the hunting and trapping industries throughout Canada.

I just wanted to follow up with that, Mr. Walz. You talked about the fact that trapping is rarely seen as a full-time occupation anymore in the Northwest Territories. You also spoke about how critical and important it is for the sustaining of people's families because it's part and parcel of their ability to provide for their families on an ongoing basis.

We had a witness, at one point in time, from the Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals, and one of the NDP witnesses called for a ban on trapping. I just was hoping you could speak to the effect that would have on some of these families in the Northwest Territories and their ability to provide for their families on an ongoing basis.

[Evan Walz]

You're right. The ability of people, rights holders in NWT, to trap goes beyond something monetary. I did mention that it's not a primary source of income for most people, it's secondary or tertiary. It supplements income in other areas. It's part of an annual cycle of getting people out on the land. But more than supporting from a financial perspective, it supports from a cultural and spiritual perspective people's ability to link to the land, particularly those in small remote communities, so it goes beyond just economics. This is not solely about economics. This is about maintaining a way of life; it's about maintaining a culture. There's a very solid connection. With regard to your comment about banning trapping, that would have a detrimental effect on a great number of NWT residents, not only from an economic perspective, but also from a cultural perspective, from a perspective of maintaining a traditional lifestyle and maintaining essentials of cultural identity.

[Lawrence Toet, Conservative, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Thank you for that, because sometimes we can get caught up in the dollars and cents and looking at numbers, and the whole cultural identity and the cultural aspect of it can be overlooked. It's appreciated that you would bring that forward.

Mr. Tramburg, you talked a little bit about your work. You can correct me on this, but you have an outdoor services or outdoor experience group at each one of your locations in the United States and Canada. Is that right?

[John Tramburg]

We have an outdoor services group located at our world headquarters here in Sidney, Nebraska, and they service hunters and anglers across the globe by helping them connect with various outfitters, whether it be in northern Saskatchewan or, quite frankly, southern Africa, or Arizona for that matter.

[Lawrence Toet, Conservative, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

When you're working through this process, is there an intent to also engage with any particular groups? I was thinking of new immigrants, urban people, to make sure we're having urban populations interacting. Is that part of what you're trying to accomplish through that process, to create a real sense and spirit of environmental stewardship to some degree?

[John Tramburg]

Very well said, sir.

In fact, in the very near future you will see this business unit begin to take a more prominent presence in all of our retail locations, so we can begin educating folks not only on what's out there but also in terms of what the future looks like, so that goes exactly to your point.

[Lawrence Toet, Conservative, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

One other thing that came up in your testimony, or in some of the questioning, was the involvement of women.

I think, Mr. Brecht, you spoke to this a little bit. We've heard from several witnesses about the growing involvement of women in hunting—especially in angling—but our study here is on licensed hunting and trapping. Is there anything you can put your finger on to attribute that growth to? Has Cabela's looked at this at all in any way, shape, or form to get a sense of what is driving this, and also what the upsides are from a conservation standpoint? We're looking at environmental stewardship here and at maybe having kind of a new group involved in it. How do you see this playing out?

[Darin Brecht]

Mr. Toet, were you talking about women in the outdoors?