On Parliament Hill

As the weather beings to warm, fishing season opens and Manitobans look forward to their spring and summer outdoor pastimes, I’d like to share with you some of the things that our government is doing to stand up for hunters and anglers in Manitoba.

Conservative Members of Parliament from across Canada have joined together to form the Conservative Hunting and Angling Caucus. This is a group of Conservative Parliamentarians, led by Bob Sopuck, the Member of Parliament for Dauphin – Swan River – Marquette, who understand the importance of hunting and angling and trapping. This caucus helps to advance the issues surrounding conservation, habitat and enhancement of fish and game while engaging the millions of Canadians who enjoy the great outdoors.

This is the first ever group of its kind in Ottawa. The caucus meets with interested parties from across the country and the input received is brought back to Ottawa to help influence our policy development. Protecting Canada’s strong hunting and angling heritage is paramount to ensuring that we will continue to protect this Canadian tradition and pass it on to our children and grandchildren.

As a Member of this group, I can tell you first hand that Conservatives are standing up for Canada’s law-abiding gun owners, hunters, anglers, and trappers. We are ensuring that they are no longer treated like criminals for simply owning a gun. That’s a strong record of leadership – one we’re very proud of as Conservatives.

We have introduced a number of measures that help defend a proud Canadian tradition, some of these initiatives include:

• Scrapping the wasteful and ineffective long-gun registry, a +$1 billion Liberal government boondoggle that criminalized Canada’s hunters and anglers.
• Reversing the decision made by RCMP bureaucrats to phase out their use of muskrat fur hats for an inferior alternative.
• Tabling the Common Sense Firearms Licensing Act, keeping our promise to make firearms regulations safe and sensible. The Common Sense Firearms Licensing Act will reduce red tape while ensuring that Canada’s communities are safe.
• Establishing the Recreational Fisheries Conservation Partnerships Program to support projects aimed at improving the conservation of recreational fisheries habitat. The Program brings partners together and pools their resources to support the common goal of conserving and protecting Canada’s recreational fisheries.

In April, I invited MP Sopuck to visit Provencher. Joined by two other Conservative Members of Parliament, we met with outdoor enthusiasts from across the riding at a town hall meeting in Dugald to report on the important work of the Hunting and Angling Caucus.

I want to assure you that the hunting, angling, and trapping community can depend on Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party to stand up for our rural way of life.