Environment committee  I think there are several ways the federal government could contribute constructively into those processes that are being led by provinces and territories. One is information. If we have good information coming from a recovery strategy, coming from one of our bird conservation re

Environment committee  I'd have to get back to the committee with the answer to that question.

Environment committee  At the risk of repeating myself, the primary reason has to do with the voice that hunters and trappers provide for conservation. They not only speak about the sustainability of the harvest, which I've mentioned already, but also are, I think, really an important voice for the nee

Environment committee  On the harvest side of the equation, they certainly have been a voice for reducing harvest where they're finding it becoming more difficult to obtain the species they're either hunting, trapping, or fishing for. With respect to harvest management, they go one step further as well

Environment committee  No.

Environment committee  That's not a choice that I make as an official.

Environment committee  With respect to the budget and the amount—

Environment committee  I'd prefer the opportunity to look at those numbers and provide a response back to the committee following this meeting. I don't have that information in front of me.

Environment committee  We're still going through our quarterly reporting and taking stock of what any free balances might be in the departmental budget. It's not yet the end of the fiscal year, so I'm not in a position to answer that question.

Environment committee  Your question speaks to the entire budget of the department, and I'm not involved in most parts of that budget. Again, perhaps you would permit me to get back to the committee following this meeting.

Environment committee  The answer is yes. We have 54 national wildlife areas, and hunting is allowed in 27 of them. We do manage for conservation outcomes. In some of the areas, to achieve our objectives, hunting is not possible. Some national wildlife areas are quite small, literally the size of the f

Environment committee  No, not at all. There are various activities that we allow in the national wildlife areas, and hunting is one of those activities. It's not detrimental to the conservation outcomes that we pursue in those areas.

Environment committee  We're taking two primary areas of activity. One is the humane trapping standards. If we're talking about trapping, it's important for market access, if you will, to demonstrate to the international community the humaneness of the trapping. I won't go into more detail on that.

Environment committee  Thank you for your question. With respect to the main estimates and species at risk, part of the funding we have for the species at risk program is what is referred to as sunsetting, so that decision is yet to be taken whether or not to renew the funds that would be sunsetted, b

Environment committee  That's a good question, and you're absolutely right. We have a number of conservation partnerships with the United States for particular species. I think of the porcupine caribou herd between Alaska and the Yukon, which has been successfully jointly managed for many years now und