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NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
Eleventh-hour opposition from a key legislative committee was brushed aside Thursday as Environment and Natural Resources Minister Michael Miltenberger chose to stand by the beleaguered NWT Wildlife Act.

"It's in the house; we've gone through various processes and it has come into the ultimate decision-making residence and it will be voted on," Miltenberger said, ignoring the recommendation from the economic development and infrastructure committee that the bill be shelved.

When the final session of the 16th legislative assembly opened Wednesday, Kam Lake MLA Dave Ramsay, the committee chair, said he would be surprised if Miltenberger ignored the committee's opinion.

"It's never happened in my experience; it's a dangerous die to be casting if he does," Ramsay said.

Miltenberger declined requests for interviews Wednesday but Thursday morning at a press conference he said "the committee has their opinion and we have ours. We will make the case that we think it is a good bill. Now the legislature will decide."

"This bill has been in the works for decades, literally. There has been thorough consultation and process never before used in any jurisdiction in this country," said Miltenberger, who called the bill "progressive."

"I think there is considerable support for this bill," he said.

The Wildlife Act is one of 10 bills MLAs will asked to pass in the final sitting of the legislature before voters go to polls Oct. 3 to elect a new government.

Ramsay said the majority of the five-member committee supports recommendation to put the law over to the next legislature.

Weledeh MLA Bob Bromley criticized the bill at a committee meeting last week and a transcript of his remarks was widely circulated before the sitting opened.

Bromley called the bill "overly complex and divisive," and said it would be "irresponsible" of Miltenberger to move forward without more consultation.

The new law "fails to recognize the principle of inclusiveness in management of a public resource, overly politicizes wildlife science, (and) fails to address current wildlife management issues," Bromley said.

Possibly its greatest failing, said Bromley, "is the insufficient, uneven and unfair consultation and support for meaningful consultation."

Bromley said Miltenberger discussed draft amendments to the bill "with only selected parties, displaying an underlying problem that has plagued this bill to date.

"The minister's actions are cause to stop this process immediately," he said.

Bromley said there are concerns that in the proposed law, Miltenberger has interpreted "priority rights as exclusive rights, and failed to give weight to the need of others without aboriginal and treaty rights."

The government "has spent millions of tax dollars, and many years, consulting with aboriginal governments and those with aboriginal or treaty rights, and yet the most fundamental gap - the determination of total harvest of wildlife - was not even discussed again, despite caribou evaporating under co-management conditions before our very eyes."

"After decades of consultation and expenditures, the minister handed those without aboriginal or treaty rights, and those whose rights have not yet been fully defined, 89 pages of fine print legalese, and a few paltry dollars with a request to provide final feedback within a few months.

"This is not only a travesty, it is a clear mistreatment of the majority of our people in the NWT. The only appropriate response is to provide the public with the opportunity and resources required for meaningful consultation," Bromley said.

Sahtu MLA Norman Yakeleya is one committee member who wants the bill go forward.

"We've been waiting for 16 years for this bill," said Yakeleya, who thinks there is still a chance the bill will go forward.

"There have been 50 revisions and $2 million spent. This act is worth saving; it's good for the people of the North. There are a lot of good things. Some people want to wait for the next legislature - I say do it now."

Two other committee members - deputy chair and Nun-

akput MLA Jackie Jacobson, and Mackenzie Delta MLA David Krutko - could not be reached for comment.

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