(January 21, 2013) - Good evening, I am very pleased to be at this year’s Fur Harvesters Auction Annual Convention. It is nice to see some familiar faces from my life before I became Premier.
I want to congratulate Fur Harvesters Auction on its largest and most successful opening fur auction earlier this month. I expect this will be another great year for the fur industry and your work is a big part of that success.
I’d like to talk to you tonight about the role of the fur harvesting industry in the Northwest Territories. Fur harvesting continues to be an important part of the lives of our people, both as an economic and traditional cultural activity. Harvesting is more than a job for us, it is a way of life.
That way of life often comes under criticism from the animal rights movement. Frankly, I can’t think of an industry more focused on harvesting resources responsibly than the fur harvesting industry. Unlike many animal rights activists, harvesters live in close contact with the animals they depend on. They respect the animals and know first-hand how important it is to use humane, sustainable practices.
The commitment to humane practices has been a priority for a long time, it isn’t something the industry just discovered. Many years ago I was part of the delegation that negotiated international standards on humane trapping. I’m confident in saying that the guidelines we put in place are an excellent safeguard against inhumane practices.
Sadly, the activists seem to ignore our history of responsible harvesting and strong standards. They only see the animals, but we see the people that are affected by their actions.
A strong culture is a key component of personal and social wellness, and so is the opportunity to earn a living. Fur harvesting provides a unique opportunity to preserve the traditional way of life in an economically relevant way. Opportunities to blend traditional practices with modern life are few and far between. We value what we have, and to suggest that fur harvesting is inhumane is irresponsible and does a disservice to the many Canadians who make a living pursuing this activity. Having been born and raised in the small, fur harvesting community of Fort Providence in the Northwest Territories and as a former board member of the Fur Institute of Canada, I know the importance of fur harvesting in the Northwest Territories and in Canada.
From our earliest days, fur has made our country an integral part of the global economy. As early as the 17th Century, we saw the rise of companies like the Hudson’s Bay Company and extensive trading networks that connected our resources to European markets, creating wealth and prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic. European traders and explorers lived and traded with our First Nations, creating relationships between our peoples that continue to this day.
Given our long, mutual history, it is somewhat ironic that we now have European nations leading the ban on products like seal skin. Or perhaps ironic is the wrong word. Ungrateful might be closer to the mark. Our ancestors worked hard and, in doing so, helped European countries and their citizens prosper. I think our people deserve the same opportunity in return.
In many ways, Canada is the country it is because of the fur industry. I am proud to be a part of that long tradition and grateful to the Fur Harvesters Auction and people like your CEO Mark Downey for the work you do to preserve and further that industry.
Fur is Canada’s past and, with the rise of new markets like China, it will be part of our future.
The government of the Northwest Territories has had a more than ten-year long relationship with FHA. In that time, FHA has been a big part of the success of our own trappers. Whether it is through selling Northwest Territories wild fur or teaching our harvesters the latest and most up-to-date trapping and pelt handling techniques, our success is your success. Our trappers recently had their highest sales in 20 years - 1.5 million dollars - and that can be attributed in great part to the work of FHA.
Partnership is a priority for our government and I’m proud of the successful ongoing partnership we continue to have with Fur Harvesters Auction. Year after year, you have shown you are as dedicated to our success as we are, and we appreciate your commitment to the success of our harvesters.
Part of our success will be continuing to work together to develop new international markets for our products. We had a tremendous opportunity to do that last September when ten Canadian provinces and territories undertook a trade mission to China as part of the Council of Federation. Mark Downey joined me on that mission to promote the Northwest Territories’ and Canada’s world-class wild fur resources to Chinese business people and investors.
China is the world’s leading manufacturer of fur garments and demand for our wild fur there is high and increasing year after year. Our wild fur is seen as a premium product that international designers want to use and the growing Chinese middle class loves to wear. When we met with the President of the Yuanlong Fur and Leather Company president, he told us they are anticipating growth in the sector due to high-end fashion outlets and designers using wild fur as accent pieces on garments.
It was also exciting to see all the fur that was incorporated into garments on sale in Hong Kong department stores and being worn on the streets of the city.
Investments in trade missions and the hard work of the Fur Harvesters Auction is starting to pay off significantly. We need look no further than your opening fur auction on January 9th, which had a large number of buyers from China dominating the action all day. I’m very pleased by your success and I expect another great season for you and our harvesters. I’m confident that we’ll continue to see a lot of interest from China and that they will help drive our industry to new heights.
Expanding the markets for our products and developing our resources responsibly and sustainably continue to be priorities for the Government of the Northwest Territories. We know that a strong economy depends on balance and diversification and we continue to promote other sectors, like the traditional economy.
Many Aboriginal people in the Northwest Territories live in small communities of less than 1,000 people.
Several families still live a very traditional lifestyle, in part, living off of the land and with hunting and trapping playing an important role in supporting households – fur sales are an important source of income.
The Government of the Northwest Territories is one of the only governments in the world to support the harvesting of wild fur as a fundamental component of a modern and thriving economy. We provide trapper support and education programs and work in partnership with organizations like Fur Harvesters Auction to ensure the success and longevity of the industry in the Northwest Territories.
Our government prides itself on its commitment to not only working with our harvesters to supply top-quality wild fur for sale at auction, but also on the value buyers get when they purchase our wild fur.
That’s where our Genuine Mackenzie Valley Fur brand comes in – a program unique in the industry and among governments. Genuine Mackenzie Valley Furs are the best wild furs on the market and have long been recognized around the world as the highest-quality wild fur that money can buy.
Overall benefits from the Genuine Mackenzie Valley Furs program are two-fold.
First, due to the unique partnership with the government, all proceeds from the sale of wild furs marketed through this program flow directly back to the trapper – providing direct financial benefits to trappers, their families and their communities.
Second – and the importance of this element is often overlooked – trappers supplement government monitoring efforts by providing valuable information to wildlife officers on the species they trap. Northwest Territories wildlife resources are co-managed by government and trappers, who work together to monitor populations and regulate harvesting.
With ongoing effective management, harvesting wildlife resources can continue to be a part of a strong, diversified Northwest Territories economy.
Like the rest of the world, the Northwest Territories is continuously evolving and becoming more “modern.”
Young residents often move to larger urban centres, and the art of trapping is at risk of being lost to “modern” ways of life. The growth of the Internet has connected our youth to the wired world and created whole new industries. And while we welcome the new opportunities that this digital economy provides to our youth, we know that it is important to preserve our traditional ways too.
The Government of the Northwest Territories has a unique program focused on encouraging youth to participate in traditional economy activities, the Take A Kid Trapping program. Started in 2002, this program is funded by government and delivered in communities directly by our Territorial schools.
With an investment of $450,000 a year we are able to run 50 programs reaching approximately 2000 youth a year. It is the commitment of the government, schools, local bands, Elders and the community that make this program so successful and unique to the rest of Canada.
One of the greatest challenges we as a government face with respect to quality wild fur is keeping trappers and eager youth actively engaged in traditional trapping practices.
These skills are essential in ensuring the Northwest Territories has a viable fur industry for years to come. We look at trappers and their craft as an endangered species that needs to be protected like any other.
That is why the Genuine Mackenzie Valley Fur Program is so important. It provides active trappers with a comprehensive support to pursue the trapping lifestyle. Benefits are far ranging –for example, trappers who ship high-quality fur through the GMVF Program are eligible to receive guaranteed advance payments until the fur is sold at auction. In total the Government of the NWT provides up to $900,000 dollars a year directly to eligible trappers.
These payments are based on a number of factors including the species and associated management concerns. Trappers are also entitled to receive a Prime Fur Bonus payment if the fur sells for more than the advance payment after each sale.
Along with grubstake, shipping and auction house commission, we expend $610,000 a year to further sustain our trapping industry.
We also protect our trappers by registering them under our Territorial Workers Compensation program which entitles them to benefits if they are injured and unable to work.
Our government is also encouraging trappers to harvest those pelts that are in highest demand in higher quantities, to ensure buyers at auction have access to the furs they want the most.
At the end of the day, the Genuine Mackenzie Valley Furs Program is an example of a program that works. Trappers benefit from increased support, training and income from fur provided at auction; the Government of the Northwest Territories benefits by gathering current harvest data and ensuring valuable fur resources are used wisely; and last of all – and perhaps, the most importantly – buyers can rest-assured that they are getting top-of-the-line, humanely harvested wild fur from the Northwest Territories.
We’re very proud of the high-quality, natural wild fur that we produce in the Northwest Territories. Wild fur has been a part of Canada’s and the world’s economy for centuries now. I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
With the rise of new markets like China and the ongoing efforts of organizations like Fur Harvesters Auction, I see the industry continuing to grow and thrive. I look forward to many more years of partnership as we advance one of Canada’s first and most dynamic global industries together.
Thank you.