This bill was last introduced in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session, which ended in August 2015.
This bill was previously introduced in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session.
Rick Norlock Conservative
Introduced as a private member’s bill.
This bill has received Royal Assent and is now law.
This is from the published bill.
This enactment designates the third Saturday in September in each and every year as “National Hunting, Trapping and Fishing Heritage Day”.
All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from the Library of Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.
The House proceeded to the consideration of Bill C-501, An Act respecting a National Hunting, Trapping and Fishing Heritage Day, as reported (without amendment) from the committee.
The Acting Speaker Barry Devolin
There being no motions at report stage, the House will now proceed, without debate, to the putting of the question on the motion to concur in the bill at report stage.
National Hunting, Trapping and Fishing Heritage Day ActPrivate Members' Business
Conservative
Some hon. members
Agreed.
Some hon. members
Agreed.
National Hunting, Trapping and Fishing Heritage Day ActPrivate Members' Business
Conservative
Rick Norlock Conservative Northumberland—Quinte West, ON
moved that Bill C-501, An Act respecting a National Hunting, Trapping and Fishing Heritage Day, be read the third time and passed.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House this afternoon to address my private member's bill, Bill C-501, which would formally designate the third Saturday in September every year as Canada's national hunting, trapping and fishing heritage day.
Bill C-501 calls for a nation-wide designation of a special day to commemorate the historic role of these traditional activities and a celebration of the part that hunting, trapping and fishing plays in Canada's heritage, social fabric, and indeed our economy.
A hunting, trapping, and fishing heritage runs deep in my family. My maternal grandfather Narcisse Viens came to Ontario from Aylmer, Quebec. He was a great hunter and a very successful trapper. My father Ben, my brothers, and my two sons, James and Matthew, are following in their great grandfather's and grandfather's footsteps, and I must say their father's footsteps.
In 2017, we will be celebrating Canada's 150th anniversary of Confederation. In the lead-up to that celebration, it is important that Canadians know about, appreciate, and celebrate our history and traditions, which help to define who we are as Canadians today.
Hunting, trapping, and fishing were and are an integral part of life for Canada's aboriginal peoples and our first settlers. Further, the availability of game and fish determined where people settled in this great country of ours.
These activities were the first forms of trade and even currency, and they formed the very backbone of Canada's early financial structures. In part, they helped to set the tone as well as the direction of our economic and social development.
Hunting, trapping, and fishing are vital to the livelihood of Canada's northern communities. I recall my days on the northeast patrol of the Ontario Provincial Police along the James Bay and Hudson's Bay coast, and at the time of year when the geese were returning or leaving, the availability of these migratory game birds sustained communities through some long, hard winters. They supplemented a very expensive diet, and members know how expensive groceries can be in the north.
These activities fuel the economy of our northern communities by attracting more than 400,000 visitors each year. I know that the member for Yukon will agree that it is vital to the economies of our great territories in the north because it provides tourism. Hunters and fishers go there to enjoy some of the world's best fishing and hunting.
I would like to speak now about something that is important to Canadians, particularly those Canadians who garner their living or part of their living through trapping.
There are more than 65,000 Canadians who work in different sectors of the fur trade. The fur trade contributes $800 million to the Canadian economy, including over half, $450 million, to our export markets.
Some of the world's top designers are using fur in their collections. Fur garments are a sought-after status symbol for wealthy customers in China, Russia, and South Korea. In fact, the Canada-Korea free trade agreement will remove border taxes from mink, many farmed, which will provide Canadian exporters with a new edge in this emerging market.
Our aboriginal and many non-aboriginal trappers use the pelts of fur-bearing animals for their living, and for the Canadian fur industry, which is beginning once again to thrive in our country.
The value of hunting, fishing, and trapping in this country is over $10 billion a year, and I believe that I am underestimating that significantly. As an outdoorsman, I can vouch for the many organizations to which we belong, and there is no group of people in this country who are greater conservationists than hunters and anglers. I dare say that we are stewards of the environment and recognize the need for ongoing conservation and restoration.
I would like to thank a few of the organizations that have supported this bill, communicated with me, and encouraged me to continue on in the second time around for the bill.
I want to recognize the Alberta Fish & Game Association, the BC Wildlife Federation, the Delta Waterfowl Foundation, Friends of Fur, the Canadian Outdoors Network, Ducks Unlimited Canada, the Fur Institute of Canada, the Hunting for Tomorrow Foundation, the Fédération québécoise des chasseurs et pêcheurs, the Ontario Federation of Anglers & Hunters, All-Party Outdoor Caucus, the Conservative Hunting and Angling Caucus, the P.E.I. Wildlife Federation, the Newfoundland and Labrador Wildlife Federation, the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation, Wildlife Habitat Canada, Safari Club International, and the Canadian Sportfishing Industry Association. I also want to recognize the member for Yukon, of course, and his great support of this bill, as well as many members of Parliament both on this side of the House and on the other.
I echo the Speech from the Throne in stating:
Since Canada’s earliest days, our economy has been built on our abundant natural resources. Directly and indirectly, the natural resource sector employs 1.8 million Canadians, many in skilled, high-paying jobs. Resource development generates $30 billion annually in revenue that supports health care, education, and programs that Canadians cherish.
These activities of hunting, fishing, and trapping help contribute to the other natural resources that I have just specified.
Economic action plan 2014 proposes to provide an additional $15 million over 2 years to extend the recreational fisheries conservation partnership program. This program brings partners together to support the common goal of conserving and protecting Canada's recreational fisheries.
This bill has all-party support, as well as the support of every provincial and regional outdoor federation across this great country of ours. It is crucial to honour the heritage of those who have gone before us and bring special recognition to those who participate in hunting, trapping, and fishing today.
Please join me in supporting my bill so that every third Saturday of September will be known as Canada's national hunting, trapping and fishing heritage day.
Carol Hughes NDP Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON
Mr. Speaker, I am glad that I am the one who will be asking the question here, because I have many people who trap in my neck of the woods. Of course, we have beautiful Manitoulin Island.
Bob Florean was at the environment committee yesterday, talking about the issues with the Great Lakes Basin.
We will be supporting this bill, but when I was looking at this, I am kind of confused. This document has really good numbers about the economic impact this has on Canada as a whole, yet we have a government that is set to close the Algoma Central Railway passenger service, from which $20 million comes back in economic return.
My question for my colleague is why, if the government recognizes the impact and the importance of fishing, hunting, and trapping, it is willing to derail the economic stability of northern Ontario? Why is the government attacking the very people it is saying it wants to recognize on such an important day?
National Hunting, Trapping and Fishing Heritage Day ActPrivate Members' Business
Conservative
Rick Norlock Conservative Northumberland—Quinte West, ON
Mr. Speaker, there is no attack whatsoever. Perhaps the member is a bit premature in her comments. I know that we have members on this side of the House who are working on that issue, as well as many other issues. Let us just wait and see what occurs.
It is important to let the member who just spoke know that I do know some of her riding. I used to work in Hearst, Ontario, and worked throughout Kapuskasing and other areas, so I am very much aware of how important hunting, fishing, and trapping are, not only to the residents there but also to the many people who come to Ontario's great north, as I mentioned in my speech. They bring their families. I brought my dear wife, Judy, to a fly fishing camp in Hornepayne, so I know that the member would encourage all members of the House to go to our great north and participate in those activities.
Before the member wants to find some really negative things to say about it, I think she would agree that this bill would go a long way to encouraging more and more Canadians and people from around the world to take part in hunting and fishing in our country, and to buy fur coats of animals raised or trapped in this country of ours. I know that she would encourage all of her constituents who can afford it to buy a fur coat, too.
National Hunting, Trapping and Fishing Heritage Day ActPrivate Members' Business
Liberal
Yvonne Jones Liberal Labrador, NL
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague across the way for bringing forward the motion today. Obviously this is a motion that is very much motherhood among most parliamentarians in Canada. We all represent large constituencies of trappers, hunters, and fishers. There is no reason we should not be designating a day to honour and celebrate an industry that is such a tremendous part of our heritage in Canada.
What always concerns me is the sealing industry in Canada's north and why there has been such terrible perception created worldwide about this hunt rather than about the benefits it brings to our country and our people. I would ask my colleague if he has some suggestions on how we can start changing those worldwide attitudes around that industry and make it better for the people in this country.
National Hunting, Trapping and Fishing Heritage Day ActPrivate Members' Business
Conservative
Rick Norlock Conservative Northumberland—Quinte West, ON
Mr. Speaker, what the member across the way has said is very important. Collectively, members of Parliament have been talking about the seal hunt and how important it is to not only the residents of her riding but to the people who live in the north and to the people who supplement their income through sealing.
I encourage all Canadians to do as I did. I bought a sealskin tie. I should have worn it today. I apologize that I did not. We should all support the industry from within this House. I agree with the member as to how important it is. It is important for our country, for our Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, and for the Prime Minister himself to encourage especially the European Economic Union to recognize that sealing is a legitimate and proper way to earn a living.
I want to thank the member and her province for being the home of my brother-in-law, Dan Bangs, when he worked in Newfoundland. Of course, I saw some great opportunities there for those of us who hunt moose.
Jonathan Genest-Jourdain NDP Manicouagan, QC
Mr. Speaker, during my speech on Bill C-501, An Act respecting a National Hunting, Trapping and Fishing Heritage Day, I will explore the ethical side of the practices that have shaped our identity and that are the focus of the bill before us.
When I talk about practices that have shaped our identity, I am talking about hunting, trapping and fishing, which are a significant part of our identity as Canadians. These activities helped ensure the survival of the first settlers and colonizers who, out of necessity, had to adapt to a sometimes hostile climate and to unexplored territory. These activities are a significant part of our identity as a nation, and it is important to acknowledge that here today.
When I heard about the topic at hand, I had some reservations at first. Given this government's fairly pronounced authoritarian streak, I assumed that the Conservatives would attempt to control the elements and the wildlife. However, I was quite surprised to see that there is an unstated recognition of the impact that human activity has on preserving our resources and the ecosystem. That indicates that the Conservatives are making some progress, and I must give them credit for their change in mentality, their evolving concerns and their shift in position.
I was apprehensive because what I have learned from others and what I was told growing up in my community was that humans are meant to have little impact on and control over animals, the fauna and the elements.
Upon reading the content of this bill, I could see that it was designed to change human behaviour. Humans really only have control over their own destiny. It is always possible to change the way of thinking of Canadian society as a whole. This is already happening.
I think that all groups that represent hunters and groups that were consulted in the drafting of this bill agreed that it was necessary to protect the resource and to develop ethical and ecologically sensitive practices with respect to animals. That is something positive and that is what I want to talk about today.
The evolution of how Canadians interact with nature covers a wide range of activities that can be categorized by the terms “hunting, trapping and fishing.” These terms cover elements of recreation, culture and tradition, and the economy, as well as scientific and environmental research.
I just wanted to mention that in passing for your information. I often venture into obiter dictum territory, but I still want to point these things out.
I want to reiterate that the study and the bill before us can in no way create guidelines for, limit or govern the traditional activities carried out by the aboriginal peoples of Canada. This very specific bill could not in any way limit or even interfere with the traditional activities—including hunting, trapping and fishing—practised in their communities, because those activities are enshrined in the Constitution and are protected. Therefore, the bottom line is that this could not have any effect on those activities. Since the bill states and recognizes the primacy of these activities, I wanted to bring it up today. That is another step in the right direction.
I want to stress that the measures set out in the bill are non-binding with respect to the traditional practices of aboriginal peoples. These traditional activities are virtually immutable because it is almost impossible to regulate them or create guidelines either through this bill or any others.
Following the stream of thought prevailing in lands occupied by aboriginal communities in this country, hunters, anglers and trappers acknowledge the importance of the ethical treatment of animals and environmentally sustainable activities, all from the standpoint of perpetuating the identity-building practices that have forged Canada's social, economic and cultural history. I have already substantiated those words over the past few minutes.
For example, in Innu communities—I will rely on my own personal experience—from a very young age, when young people are called upon to go out into the forest and follow the group and clan, we make sure they have the information and ancestral knowledge they need to adopt behaviour that, of necessity, is ethical towards animals.
From a very young age, I already knew that we do not shoot wolves, because, in any case, they cannot be eaten. Although you sometimes do see wolf pelts for sale, my community is rather reluctant about that and does not approve.
There are some practices that are said to be “emulative”, that is, when someone from Uashat or Maliotenam displays questionable or unethical behaviour regarding hunting or the use of pelts, bones or antlers, elders will make sure that person understands that his behaviour is inappropriate and he will be ostracized by the community. This kind of informal regulation has been used by members of the community for thousands of years. It is about maintaining the reputation and the pure, unwavering character of these actions.
It would be unreasonable of me to expect all Canadians to know this information, especially since I come from a predominantly oral culture and, as one might expect, this information is passed down from one generation to the next.
The bill before us reiterates the same imperative, but that imperative will be shared by all Canadians. Some benefit can be drawn from these teachings that are almost innate or automatic in my home community.
It is beneficial to reiterate the ideals and imperatives regarding the ethical treatment of animals in sport hunting. For the purposes of this study, it is important to point out that the “emulatory” principles that prevail in aboriginal clans most often act as informal ways of regulating traditional practices, particularly through the attachment to animal spirits as a way of self-identifying, which we also try to share with the entire Canadian population for the common good. It would be good if everyone had the same foundation and knew that there is no use shooting a wolf because it is hard to eat the meat.
With the gradual loss and disappearance of the traditional teachings among the population in general, given the millions of Canadians, it might be hard to ensure that this information is passed on to every hunter and every fisher. That is why we need regulation and the enactment of a legislative tool that would reiterate these imperatives, as is being proposed today, and the establishment of national and international standards of practice to ensure that animals are not subjected to such unethical treatment.
The groups that were consulted and spoke to this issue agreed on the need for ethical and respectful behaviour toward animals because we all know that this resource will have to be available if the next generation wants to follow in our footsteps. Humans can change their own behaviour and their own destiny. We have to wonder when we see a moose head on the hood of a 4x4, something we very rarely see. In any case, I have never seen that in my community. Such a gesture is disrespectful of the animal, and that is why we so rarely see that on an Indian reserve.
Lastly, I would note that the very text of the legislative instrument constitutes an attempt on the part of the Conservatives to make amends by recognizing the vital importance of measures to protect our fragile ecosystems. Every now and then, they almost impress me by demonstrating a degree of openness at variance with their usual stance.
In the interest of consistency, the Conservatives should also reconsider their economic agenda, which continues to undermine environmental regulations in favour of rapid development in ecologically sensitive regions and areas. The greatest threat to wildlife and human resources, the greatest destructive force, is industrial activity and its impact in terms of the environment and pollution. Hunting and hunters have a negligible impact on the number of animals in a given population.
National Hunting, Trapping and Fishing Heritage Day ActPrivate Members' Business
Liberal
Yvonne Jones Liberal Labrador, NL
Mr. Speaker, I am certainly pleased to rise and speak to the bill that has been put forward by the member for Northumberland—Quinte West, and to say that of course we on this side of the House will support the motion that he has offered up today.
I am pleased to speak to this on behalf of my colleague from Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, who is not able to be here but was a strong supporter of having this designation made. He certainly made a request upon all of us as part of our caucus to support it, and the member did not have to work very hard because, as members know, hunting, trapping, and fishing are really the foundation of how this country was built.
If we want to look back to the one thing Canadians have had in common through those early years, it was how we participated in the business of hunting, trapping, and fishing from one end of the country to the other, to sustain ourselves, to grow our communities and our provinces, and to provide for our families. Our story in Newfoundland and Labrador is really not unlike any other story that can be told in any province or territory across Canada as to our involvement or engagement in those industries.
We know that obviously we have transitioned into lots of different industries over the years, and will continue to do so. However, it is very fair to say that in Canada today hunting, trapping, and fishing still remain as core industries that support our economy and our communities and the people of this country in many ways. As most members know, I live in a northern region of the country and I have many trappers in my riding. I have many fishers and fish camps, and a lot of fur farming that goes on. So I am very well informed as to how the industry works and the benefits it brings to the people I represent, as it does to many others across Canada.
However, what I also see is the people who spend a lot of time nursing and nurturing the industries and protecting what they partake in. I always find it so very offensive when I hear people who often speak out against some of these industries in which we participate without knowledge and understanding of what it really means or how it is really conducted. I find it very offensive. Just recently, I was told of Ellen DeGeneres and how she has donated money to fight back at the sealing industry in Canada. I was absolutely appalled, because I have not known this person to ever come and sit among the aboriginal people of the north to talk about this industry and what it means to them and how it impacts them. Oftentimes I am very offended when I hear people like this express their opinions and their thoughts without ever looking at the real issue and the real side of the story we are presenting in Canada.
Going back to the early days in our history, there are many stories to be told around Newfoundland and Labrador, just as we would hear in the Northwest Territories, northern Quebec, and northern Ontario. They are stories of the companies like the Hudson's Bay Company that came and set up in those early days, so that trappers and hunters would have a place to trade their product and to earn a living. Back in those days, the first nations people, who were very nomadic people in Labrador, would always come down into the villages that were settled by the Metis and the Inuit and others, and they would trade with the companies for food, just as the people in the village would do. Even through those years in the commercial fishing industry, my grandfather's stories to me were always about when they first started to trap, fish, and catch cod and salmon. It was never exchanged for money; it was always exchanged for food and for supplies, just as it was in the trapping and hunting industry for many people.
For most of their lives, that was how business was conducted. There was very little money that exchanged hands, even in Labrador, prior to confederation with Canada. It was only then that merchants would give out money as opposed to just trading supplies and food. There are a lot of stories to tell.
In my region and throughout Newfoundland and Labrador today, there are hunting and fishing associations made up of people who partake in the industry from either commercial or recreational bases; but either way, they are the conservationists. They are the people on the land. They watch what happens with every single animal species. They watch what is happening with regard to the whole ecological system. They also take notes and report anything they see that may or may not seem right or appropriate. They are some of the best conservationists I have ever known and take what they do very seriously, simply because the livelihoods of many of them are still connected to the land and the activities of trapping, hunting, and fishing. It is very sacred and important for them to ensure that there is proper management.
One of the things I have been very proud of about the people I represent is their ability to meet with environmentalists and scientists and exchange stories and information about how they manage particular species in particular industries. We have seen that a lot in the fishing industry, particularly in Labrador, where a lot of the recommendations for the industry are taken from the input of those closest to the industry. I have been very proud of them when they have said that they see things differently today and want to make sure that quotas are reduced, that there are further protections or that there are zones exempt from any kind of fishing or hunting activity. It is very important that their input is heard because they are, in my opinion, the experts on the ground.
It is important to take this occasion to recognize the importance of hunting, trapping, and fishing to the people of this country, how it comprises the history of who we are, both aboriginal and non-aboriginal, across the country. However, it is also an opportunity to send a louder message to people all around the world that Canadians are nurturers and protectors, people who work hard to make a living, have tremendous respect for their forefathers, and are very proud of who they are and their heritage.
I am hoping that by designating a day in this country, we will recognize and honour that particular industry, and that it will also become an opportunity to speak to people all around the world about who we are and what we do. It would be a day to honour all of those who built this country through trapping, hunting, and fishing. I am sure that it was not easy in those days, but it was very important.
In concluding my comments, I want to say that people in parts of Labrador continue to honour the age-old traditions, to participate in these activities and be the lead conservationists in protecting the lands, animals, waters, and fish. We are the stewards of where we live and are very proud of that.