I wouldn't speak for the rest of Canada, but I will speak for the Yukon.
We are 11 self-governing first nations. We have fundamental rules and laws that apply to us, which govern our way of life. We have signed off on a 28-chapter agreement that clearly puts in place tools and measures that allow us to advance our interests. The interest we always hold first and foremost is protecting our way of life before anything else.
We see the Yukon River chinook salmon, the coho salmon and the chinook salmon on the Porcupine drastically declining. We are now having a discussion on the species at risk. That's a conversation we will have with Canada and with our partners. It breaks my heart to have to speak that way, but that's the reality. We have done absolutely everything, yet at the same time, climate is affecting our environment and our land.
If you look at Ni'iinlii Njik park and look at the fishing branch wetlands, we have what is referred to as “the wandering”. The salmon get to the spawning grounds, the headwaters, and the water disappears over the course of the winter. The salmon eggs and the fry do not spawn and return.
Climate is affecting us no matter how much we protect the environment or what we do. It's a reality we have to face collectively, and it's a conversation we need to have internationally.