Mr. Hehr: Mr. Speaker, the woodland caribou is an endangered species, recognized both by the province and the federal government. 

Development has already shrunk caribou habitat to an unsustainable size. This government’s answer is not to protect caribou habitat but to simply cull wolves year after year.

To the Minister of Sustainable Resource Development: does this minister have any plans, besides killing wolves year after year, to protect and preserve caribou habitat on an ongoing basis?

Mr. Knight: Mr. Speaker, what we’re going to do with respect to habitat conservation affects more than just caribou habitat. If you take a look at the work that has been done up to this point in the lower Athabasca region and work that will be done in the Peace River region, in the boreal forest areas of the province of Alberta, there’s a tremendous amount of effort being put into habitat conservation, particularly for caribou but for all species.

Mr. Hehr: Well, that’s good to hear.

Now to jump to my third question, which is on the lower Athabasca region. By your answer are you assuring Albertans that you will be preserving large areas in the lower Athabasca region for caribou protection?

Mr. Knight: Well, Mr. Speaker, I think part of that answer is very obvious already. I don’t think that many people would argue with the fact that Wood Buffalo park is a large piece of the boreal forest in the lower Athabasca drainage area that is already preserved for habitat for a number of different species. The issue relative to caribou is actually a specific one that we are paying a tremendous amount of attention to. As the member indicated, predation is part of the problem. We do need to manage these wildlife populations.

Mr. Hehr: Well, I like to hear that answer, that you have to manage these problems, but there seems to be relatively little action on it. The Alberta Wilderness Association has requested, actually, federal intervention. Can your organization give a timeline as to when caribou habitat will be protected in the lower Athabasca or anywhere?

Mr. Knight: Well, Mr. Speaker, it’s there now. You know, the “when” is a number of years ago that we started into this program. We continue to work with it. There has been some suggestion that additional real estate should be added to what’s already there in protected areas. When the plan comes forward, you will see that there will be a very strong element of conservation in that plan.

Alberta Hansard, March 11, 2010

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